Patriots 2018 training camp: Day six recap; injuries starting to pile up in New England

After a day off yesterday, the New England Patriots returned to the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium today to hold a relatively light session. Nevertheless, a lot was going on between injury updates, outstanding defensive play, and high-rising emotions. Let’s recap the action:

Attendance

WR Jordan Matthews was the lone player not spotted. (source) The first-year Patriot reportedly suffered a severe hamstring injury and was subsequently released by the team. Or placed on injured reserve – there are conflicting reports by the team and the NFL transaction wire.

RB Mike Gillislee, WR Kenny Britt, WR Matthew Slater, CB Jonathan Jones, CB Cyrus Jones, CB Keion Crossen, and SS Nate Ebner were present bud did not participate in any drills. (source)

Injuries

Marcus Cannon left the session a few minutes in, limping off the field with what appeared to be a foot injury. (source)

Sony Michel left practice shortly after Cannon. The first-round rookie, who also may have suffered some sort of foot or ankle injury, walked to the medical tent before leaving the field altogether alongside head trainer Jim Whalen. (source)

Dont’a Hightower moved slowly after a one-on-one drill but ultimately did not miss any time. (source)

Offense

The quarterbacks performed as follows: (source)

Tom Brady: 10/11

Brian Hoyer: 13/16

With Cannon not participating for most of the session, LaAdrian Waddle took his spot at right tackle. (source) Waddle and linebacker Kyle Van Noy nearly got in a fight later during the session. (source)

Likewise, Jeremy Hill saw plenty of time as the number one running back with Sony Michel and Mike Gillislee out. (source)

Offensive tackle Trent Brown continues to stand out during one-on-one drills. (source)

Phillip Dorsett was able to beat the Patriots’ number one cornerback – Stephon Gilmore – to make a contested catch on a pass by Brady. (source)

Led by Brady, the offense ran a successful two-minute drill during which the quarterback completed all six of his passes. (source)

Nick Caserio spent time near the end of practice, throwing passes to the young wide receivers. (source)

Defense

Second-year cornerback Ryan Lewis had another strong session, with the highlight being a pass breakup during 11-on-11 work when he was in coverage of Rob Gronkowski. (source)

Deatrich Wise Jr. again saw plenty of reps with the starting defense. (source) Keionta Davis and Eddie Pleasant also lined up with the ones at one point. (source)

Special teams

The following players served as punt returners: Rex Burkhead, Julian Edelman, Braxton Berrios, Riley McCarron, Patrick Chung. (source)

While rookie punter Corey Bojorquez is the more powerful kicker, Ryan Allen is closing in – and still the only one of the two to actually see work as a holder on field goal and extra point attempts. (source)

Miscellaneous

Coaches from the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes and Edmonton Eskimos were present for the session. (source)

The Patriots will be back on the practice fields tomorrow at 9:15 a.m. ET.