FOXBORO, Mass. — Duron Harmon swapped his red practice jersey for a blue one Monday, signifying the New England Patriots safety had been cleared for full contact for the first time this summer.
“Man, just being out here was just good in itself,” Harmon said after the Patriots’ 10th practice of training camp. “I didn’t get to participate in the spring, the (organized team activities), so just being out here running around was good. But being able to put this blue on (Monday) was, like, that last step. It definitely felt good.”
Harmon wore a red non-contact jersey for the first nine practices of camp but did not appear limited. He was a full participant in individual and team drills and said he did not approach those sessions any differently.
“Not at all,” he said. “We try to have a limited amount of contact anyway just to keep everybody healthy, so everything that I was doing in practices was relatively the same.”
In other injury news, wide receiver Julian Edelman was a full practice participant Monday for the first time this summer. Edelman had donned full pads the previous day but did not take part in the Patriots’ intrasquad scrimmage.
The wideout caught two passes from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in 11-on-11 drills Monday and another two from Tom Brady, including an acrobatic touchdown catch over Justin Coleman that he punctuated with an emphatic spike.
“I mean, Edelman — he’s Edelman, man,” Harmon said. “He’s a great football player, he’s a great teammate, and it’s just good to have him out there. He brings that intensity, and as a defensive back, you know you’ve got to be ready to go when you go against him.”
Next up for the Patriots are two joint practices with the New Orleans Saints, which will be held Tuesday and Wednesday in preparation for Thursday’s preseason opener at Gillette Stadium.
“We’ve been beating up each other for a long time,” Harmon said. “So just getting some new faces, some more competition, going against people that you haven’t seen all year, it just makes it better.”
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
