FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots had an abbreviated practice to finish out minicamp Thursday.
The practice lasted just 75 minutes after the Patriots went for around two hours Tuesday and Wednesday. That must be a good sign for the 2019 squad.
Here’s what we observed Thursday:
— Absentees: cornerback JC Jackson, safeties Nate Ebner and Patrick Chung, running backs Sony Michel and Nick Brossette, offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste, wide receiver Demaryius Thomas and defensive end Deatrich Wise. Jackson had participated in the first two days of minicamp plus the organized team activities session open to the media last month.
— Returnees: none.
— Wide receiver Gunner Olszewski was the first player on the field for practice Tuesday and Wednesday. He was beaten by safety A.J. Howard and defensive end Shilique Calhoun on Thursday.
— Wide receivers N’Keal Harry, Jakobi Meyers, Julian Edelman and Braxton Berrios dropped passes during individual drills. Tight end Matt LaCosse dropped a pass in team drills.
— Olszewski was having issues slipping on the grass during individual drills.
— While the Patriots were working on punt drills, Tom Brady and Brian Hoyer worked off to the side with Harry and Meyers. Meyers, who has been working with the second-team offense as an outside receiver, was a notable inclusion into that group.
— Wide receivers Edelman, Maurice Harris, Phillip Dorsett, Berrios and Olszewski caught punts.
— Cornerback Jonathan Jones broke up a pass intended for Edelman in 11-on-11 drills on a throw from Brady. Second-year cornerback Duke Dawson broke up a pass from Brady intended for Dorsett in 11-on-11s. Linebacker Jamie Collins also batted a pass in full-team drills.
— Rookie cornerback Joejuan Williams was beaten on back-to-back plays to finish out 11-on-11 drills on catches by Dorsett and Berrios from Hoyer.
— Brady was 6-of-11 in 11-on-11s, 10-of-15 overall. Jarrett Stidham was 4-of-8 in 11s, 5-of-9 overall. Hoyer was 5-of-7 in 11s, 6-of-9 overall.
