Mike Vrabel had a special guest in Foxboro for the seventh day of Patriots training camp on Wednesday: Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla. 

Mazzulla and his son, who is a linebacker at Xaverian High School in Westwood, got to chat with Vrabel before the practice and then took the field alongside the Patriots head coach. Vrabel said that Mazzulla reached out to him as soon as he got the Patriots job, and the two have traded some notes on how they approach building and coaching a team. 

"Joe is fantastic," said Vrabel. "We're probably different personalities, and that's what I appreciate most about him. He's always trying to learn and gain knowledge, different ways about building a team, about strategy, about scheme, and inspiring players to do their job better.

"I always love my conversations with him and I'm excited that he could come out here with his son today," added Vrabel.

A Pro Bowl linebacker during his NFL career, Vrabel likely had a few pointers for Mazzulla's son. We'll see if Mazzulla passed anything along to Patriots players if they start showing off some Jiu Jitsu moves on the field.

Lots of missing Patriots

Vrabel said he's not expecting to see corner Christian Gonzalez at practice the rest of the week, as the All-Pro deals with a hamstring injury. But he was just one of the many absences on Wednesday.

Along with Gonzalez, fellow corner Carlton Davis was absent from the session. Linebackers Harold Landry and Jahlani Tavai, and rookie Joshua Farmer were also missing from the defense on Wednesday. Landry got a maintenance day, per to Vrabel. 

On offense, starting center Garrett Bradbury was out after he suffered a leg injury Tuesday. Yasir Durant, Trayveon Williams, and Demeer Blankumsee were also out, and guard Sidy Sow had to leave the field early.

UPDATE: Durant has been waived while Williams and Blankumsee were released as part of Wednesday's transactions. 

Backup offensive line 

With no Bradbury, third-stringer Ben Brown was the starting center on Wednesday, with Cole Strange backing him up.

Rookie Jared Wilson worked at left guard while Mike Onwneu held down the right side, and Morgan Moses and Will Campbell were at the two tackle spots. Moses was out there for the entire session Wednesday after he left early Tuesday.

This iteration of the offensive line had some issues.

Good day for Maye despite lots of pressure

Once again, the whole team was up and down. Players had their highs, and players had their lows. That goes for Maye, who felt pressure throughout the practice.

But Maye was incredibly consistent throughout, completing 15 of his 20 passes between 7 vs. 7 and 11 vs. 11 drills. He hit Hunter Henry in a tight window to start team drills, later hit rookie Kyle Williams for a huge touchdown (more on the play shortly), and found Stefon Diggs in stride on a couple underneath routes.

Maye also hit tight end Austin Hooper on a seam despite having K'Lavom Chaisson in his face. The play could have been a touchdown, but Hooper was stripped by Anfernee Jennings downfield and the defense recovered.

Maye also had to throw a screen pass into the dirt and then scramble on his last snap because of the pressure. But he handled the pressure well throughout the practice.

Chaisson got after it

It was a really good day for Chaisson, one of the best days of anyone on both sides of the ball. He put a lot of pressure on Maye, and would have sacked the QB two or three times during the session. He was the one putting pressure on Maye when he had to throw away a screen pass.

Catch of the Day: Kyle Williams 

The rookie had the highlight of the morning, though Maye deserves plenty of credit for dropping a beautiful deep ball right in his bucket for a 40-plus yard touchdown.

D.J. James was in coverage and didn't give Maye and Williams a very big window to complete the pass. But Maye dropped a teardrop right over Williams' shoulder for the touchdown. 

Top corners without Gonzo and Davis

Alex Austin and D.J. James were the starting corners on Wednesday, and held their own pretty well. Austin broke up a pass to Williams, and James continued to impress. 

"D.J. James is always around the ball," James said in true cornerback fashion after practice.

Kickers connect

We have a kicker competition in Foxboro. Both Parker Romo and Andres Borregales were 4-for-4 on their field goal attempts on Wednesday.