The media portion of Thursday’s practice in New England painted an even rougher picture of the already banged-up Patriots. After six players missed Wednesday’s practice due to injuries, two additional players — Damien Harris and Adrian Phillips — seemingly joined the list Thursday.
But the injury report told a different story.
Harris indeed missed practice, but for personal issues. The exact reasons for his absence remain unclear, but we likely can rule out a setback to the thigh injury that already has forced him to miss four straight games. Harris was limited Wednesday.
As for Phillips, he missed Thursday’s session due to an illness. Again, that’s not necessarily great news, but it apparently eliminates the possibility of yet another injury hitting New England’s beleaguered secondary.
The rest of the injury report mirrors Wednesday’s, with the exception of Matthew Slater returning to practice after enjoying a rest day. That means the same six players who missed Wednesday’s practice also sat out Thursday, including a handful of starters.
Here’s the full injury report:
DID NOT PARTICIPATE
OT Yodny Cajuste — Illness
CB Jack Jones — Knee
CB Marcus Jones — Concussion
WR DeVante Parker — Concussion
CB Jalen Mills — Groin
RB Damien Harris — Personal reasons
S Adrian Phillips — Illness
TE Jonnu Smith — Concussion
LIMITED PARTICIPATION
TE Hunter Henry — Knee
CB Jonathan Jones — Chest
RB Rhamondre Stevenson — Ankle
WR Tyquan Thornton — Knee
The Patriots will practice again Friday before hosting a closed walkthrough Saturday.
New England must beat Miami on Sunday to keep its playoff hopes alive. The Patriots and Dolphins are scheduled to kick off from Gillette Stadium at 1 p.m. ET.
