Defensive lineman Ron Brace made a big step towards returning today, taking part in the team's morning walkthrough. This indicates that he should be officially activated before the afternoon's practice session.
Also on the field for the Patriots was rookie free agent wide receiver Buddy Farnham, who was released just last week. There was also an unknown player working with the offensive line.
Right now, the Patriots are at the maximum of 80 players, meaning, that the Patriots had to let go two players to have Farnham and the unknown offensive lineman on the roster.
What I'm about to suggest is pure speculation, and I have nothing to back it, except well, speculation. In his recap of the morning's practice, Ian Rapoport noted the following on wide receiver Torry Holt:
Among the missing for the walkthrough were wide receiver Torry Holt, rookie linebacker Jermaine Cunningham, and rookie defensive back Ross Ventrone. The latter was injured during the Saints game. Holt has been nursing an injury, but has been present for workouts, so his absence is a bit of a mystery. Cunningham appeared to get hurt on the final workout against the Saints prior to the game.
Could this mean that Torry Holt was released? Probably not, but think about it. If Belichick doesn't think Holt will make the roster and plans on releasing him, he would probably respect the player by giving him a few weeks before the start of the regular season to catch on with another team. He's done this type of thing in the past, so it wouldn't really be a surprise if it happened here. Of course, now that I'm suggesting Holt may be released, this probably means that Torry Holt is going to catch 50 passes this season for the Patriots. Still, I just thought this was an interesting thing to note, as the team will be parting with two players today.