FOXBORO, Mass. — Dontrelle Inman faces an uphill climb for a roster spot following a forgettable start to his New England Patriots tenure, but the wide receiver at least was back on the practice field Wednesday morning.
Inman returned to practice on Day 6 of camp after sitting out Sunday’s and Monday’s sessions for undisclosed reasons. The Patriots were off Tuesday.
Entering Wednesday, Inman had yet to catch a pass in 11-on-11 drills during any open practice dating back to organized team activities. The 30-year-old has considerable ground to make up as New England’s preseason opener approaches.
Running back Rex Burkhead arrived at practice in full pads but transitioned to a separate conditioning field after warmups, suggesting he’s dealing with some sort of injury. Burkhead has been a valuable player for the Patriots since joining the team two years ago, but he’s struggled to stay healthy, missing eight games last season and six in 2017.
After running through roughly 15 minutes of solo drills, Burkhead jogged back to the main field and, after a conversation with head coach Bill Belichick and a member of the training staff, rejoined the running backs. He then proceeded to exit the field again before team drills and did not return.
Burkhead’s situation will be one to monitor in the coming weeks.
Rookie defensive lineman Byron Cowart also returned to practice Wednesday but spent much of the session on the rehab field. The fifth-round draft pick had been sidelined since leaving Friday’s practice with a reported quad injury.
Tight end Lance Kendrick left the field midway through practice, walking toward the locker room with a member of the team’s training staff.
Offensive tackle Isaiah Wynn still has yet to participate in full-contact drills, though he did take some half-speed team reps Wednesday.
Safety Patrick Chung, who’s recovering from offseason shoulder and forearm surgeries, was back in his red non-contact jersey after shedding it during Monday night’s walkthrough.
Wide receivers Julian Edelman and Demaryius Thomas, safety Nate Ebner, cornerback Ken Webster and offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste remained sidelined. Cajuste has yet to make an appearance on the practice field, even in workout clothes. He and Edelman are on the non-football injury list; Thomas, Ebner and Webster are on the physically unable to perform list.
