FOXBORO, Mass. — New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick eased his team back into full-pads practices Saturday. On Sunday, the Patriots went all-out.
Sunday also saw the return of the Patriots’ biggest offseason addition. Here’s everything we saw:
— Defensive end Michael Bennett returned to practice after three days of excused absences to tend to a personal matter. He looked strong in his return to the field in the run and pass game.
— Wide receiver Dontrelle Inman, defensive tackle Byron Cowart, offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste (non-football injury) and offensive lineman Cole Croston (physically unable to perform) weren’t spotted. Inman had yet to catch a pass in front of the media, dating back to the spring, in 11-on-11 drills.
— Wide receivers Julian Edelman (NFI) and Demaryius Thomas (PUP), safety Nate Ebner (PUP) and cornerback Ken Webster (PUP) were present but not in uniform nor practicing.
— 6-foot-10 Dan Skipper and former tight end and basketball player Cedrick Lang both received reps at left tackle with Isaiah Wynn still limited. Both are interesting projects. Skipper saw more first-team reps.
— Wide receivers Damoun Patterson, Phillip Dorsett, Braxton Berrios and Ryan Davis handled kickoff duties.
— Defensive ends Derek Rivers, Shilique Calhoun and Trent Harris, defensive tackle Nick Thurman and offensive linemen Shaq Mason, Tyree St. Louis and James Ferentz had wins in 1-on-1 pass-rush drills.
— Here’s your daily reminder that wide receiver Maurice Harris looks great. With Julian Edelman out, he’s been the Patriots’ best receiver, and it’s not particularly close. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady also seems to greatly enjoy throwing it to him.
— Cornerback Keion Crossen had a pass breakup over rookie receiver N’Keal Harry in 7-on-7s and another one over wide receiver Jakobi Meyers in 11-on-11s.
— Wide receiver Braxton Berrios caught a pass from Tom Brady in 11-on-11s. That’s worth mentioning because it’s the first time it’s happened in Berrios’ two-year career.
— Safety Obi Melifonwu picked off quarterback Brian Hoyer in 11-on-11s. Melifonwu has had a quietly good first four days of camp.
— Linebacker Christian Sam made an impressive run stuff near the goal line on rookie running back Damien Harris.
— Brady went 10-of-13 in 11-on-11s and 14-of-17 overall. He struggled Saturday in his return to the field but was top-notch Sunday. Hoyer went 7-of-11 with an interception in 11s and 9-of-13 with the INTT overall. Rookie Jarrett Stidham went 1-of-2 in 11s and 2-of-4 overall.
— Just because he’s a great story, we’ll mention cornerback-turned-wide receiver Gunner Olszewski had three catches from Hoyer in 11-on-11s, including a touchdown.
