New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman left the practice field yesterday after injuring his foot, but any damage must have been minor. While Edelman was not a full participant in practice, he did some running on the wet field and participated in the walkthrough. Perhaps his return isn’t far away.
Edelman running routes with the rest of the receivers. Just planted hard off the surgically repaired foot in wet, sloppy conditions
— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) August 10, 2016
Here are the rest of our notes from camp!
Attendance
Guard Jonathan Cooper (foot), guard Tre Jackson (knee), running back Dion Lewis (knee), edge defender Rob Ninkovich (triceps), right tackle Sebastian Vollmer (PUP), and tight end Bryce Williams (??) were absent from practice.
Wide receiver Julian Edelman and left tackle Nate Solder returned to practice, while wide receiver Danny Amendola showed up on the field without pads.
Injuries
Julian Edelman, D.J. Foster, Donald Brown, Anthony Johnson and Frank Kearse now working away from their teammates on a separate field.
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) August 10, 2016
Wide receiver Keshawn Martin was also a part of this group. It would seem that the players nursing soft tissue injuries (hamstrings) were kept safe during the rainy practice. That makes sense.
Offense
Offensive guard Shaq Mason received time with the first team offense at right guard, which was just a matter of time from this view. Mason was the team’s best offensive lineman down the stretch last season and is far more natural on the right side of the line. It reminds me a bit of how head coach Bill Belichick unsuccessfully tried to play Matt Light at right tackle, before moving him to his natural side.
As a trickle down effect from Mason, Josh Kline saw more time at center. I’m vocally on the record for an interior line of Joe Thuney, Josh Kline, and Shaq Mason, so perhaps we’ll see this alignment at some point in the preseason game against the Saints.
According to ProJo’s Mark Daniels, the first team wide receivers are Chris Hogan and Aaron Dobson, which is a good sign for Dobson. He really needs to make a statement during the live action preseason games.
Defense
The injury to edge defender Rob Ninkovich put a pair of players in the spotlight. ESPN’s Mike Reiss says that Chris Long saw “expanded reps”, while Daniels adds that Shea McClellin saw first team reps. The Herald’s Adam Kurkjian noted that McClellin saw time at linebacker, too, so he’s rising up the depth chart as his comfort in the defense grows.
The practice was a walkthrough so no one really stood out for their play. Rookie cornerback Jonathan Jones did break-up a pass, according to NESN’s Doug Kyed. Jones is making a serious play to be the 5th cornerback on the roster behind Malcolm Butler, Logan Ryan, Cyrus Jones, and Justin Coleman.
Special Teams
The Patriots worked on onside kicks in the wet conditions, according to the Herald’s Jeff Howe.