Michael Bennett reportedly missed the Patriots’ first training camp practice for personal reasons

The New England Patriots kicked off their 2019 training camp today, but three players where nowhere to be found. While third-round rookie Yodny Cajuste missed the session after he was placed on the non-football injury list on Sunday, center David Andrews and defensive edge Michael Bennett were absent for initially undisclosed reasons. At least in Bennett’s case we now know why he was a no-show for today’s practice.

As first reported by ESPN’s Field Yates, the 33-year-old was an excused absentee today and missed the two-hour session for personal reasons. While no timeline is known as of yet regarding a potential return, it would not be surprising to see the veteran back on the field with his teammates sooner rather than later. The next chance for that will come tomorrow, when the Patriots hold their second practice of this year’s camp.

Whenever Bennett rejoins the team, it will be just his fourth practice since joining New England via trade in March. The veteran, who is expected to play considerable snaps in the team’s defensive edge rotation this year, sat out organized team activities in spring and was only on the field for the three mandatory minicamp sessions. Given his vast experience, however, him missing practices at this point in the process should not be seen as a concern.