Team says hello to health after bye week
Only one player absent from practice
FOXBORO >> The Patriots practiced in full pads Wednesday for the first time since their bye week.
According to the team’s practice report, most players were a full go.
Rookie linebacker DaMarcus Mitchell was the only player absent, and six others were limited. Of those six, only punter Jake Bailey and linebacker Anfernee Jennings are dealing with new injuries. Both have ailing backs.
Safety Kyle Dugger (ankle), wide receiver DeVante Parker (knee) and defensive tackle Christian Barmore (knee) headlined the limited group. Parker and Barmore missed the team’s last game, a 26-3 win over the Colts on Nov. 6, when Dugger returned from a oneweek absence. After Parker sprained his knee against the Jets on Oct. 30, reports indicated he wouldn’t miss more than a game or two.
Elsewhere at practice, Isaiah Wynn took the initial reps at left tackle and bookended the starting offensive line with backup Yodny Cajuste. Starting left tackle Trent Brown stood to the side, then drilled with the backups and hit the blocking sled without a helmet.
It’s unclear why the 6-foot8, 380-pounder ceded the initial reps to Wynn, who served as the primary backup at left tackle in training camp, the last time practices were fully open to reporters.
This season, Wynn has made six starts at his new position of right tackle and been benched in multiple games as the team’s worst pass protector. Meanwhile, Brown is one of two Patriots to play every offensive snap, while overcoming minor injuries. Earlier this month, he credited a change in his offseason nutrition and conditioning program for helping him stay on the field.
“I did focus on lifting and diet more this offseason just so I could be more available and help me to play all 17 (games) and hopefully more,” Brown said. “Then I also told myself I know my team needs me, but I’ve got to be out there for me, as well. I hate missing time because I know the type of impact I can have when I’m available.”
In New York, Jets wide receiver Corey Davis and defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins were both nonparticipants at practice. Davis missed the team’s first meeting on Oct. 30. Rankins suffered a dislocated elbow two weekends ago and is not expected to play Sunday.
Mac self-scouts during bye
Like the Patriots coaching staff, quarterback Mac Jones spent a significant portion of the bye week selfscouting.
In fact, Jones went so far Wednesday as to call his self study a “full audit.” What did he find?
The second-year quarterback wouldn’t specify, but he did share that he stressed many of the same fundamentals he works on at practice.
“I think a lot of things are personal to me and things that I want to keep to myself, but a lot of things that I can improve,” Jones said. “Footwork, timing, eyes. I’m trying to improve that every week regardless, (but) definitely putting extra emphasis on it and trying to match up everything. I felt good about the progress we made. Just got to apply it on Sunday.”
RB Montgomery out for year
Patriots running back Ty Montgomery is out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery, according to a report from The Boston Globe.
Montgomery has not played since the team’s season-opening loss at Miami on Sept. 11. In that game, he caught three passes for 15 yards and a touchdown around two rushes for minus-two yards. Montgomery was placed on injured reserve two days later.
The 29-year-old was expected to serve as the Pats’ third-down back this season, a role Rhamondre Stevenson has since taken over. Stevenson is currently in the middle of a breakout year and ranks second on the team in catches. Montgomery also played on most special teams units.
The former Saints, Jets and Packers return man signed a 2-year, $3.5 million contract in free agency last spring. He’s scheduled to carry a $1.9 million cap hit next season, per Over The Cap, though the team could create $1.75 million in cap space by releasing him.
Without Montgomery, the Patriots have five running backs on their active roster: Stevenson, Damien Harris, J.J. Taylor, and rookies Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong Jr..
Asked Wednesday whether Montgomery would return this season, Pats coach Bill Belichick described his situation as “day by day.”
Report: Pats add to practice squad
A day after releasing wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey from their practice squad, the Patriots reportedly filled his spot with former USFL tight end Hunter Thedford.
According to the NFL Network, Thedford will be playing offensive tackle in New England after gaining 30 pounds over the last six months. During his USFL stint with the Pittsburgh Maulers, Thedford was listed at 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds. He caught 13 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown over the 2022 USFL regular season, which ended in mid-June after 10 weeks.
Stedford converted from a defensive end to a tight end midway through his college career, which he split between SMU and Utah. Stedford went undrafted in 2020 and later signed a futures contract with the Detroit Lions, but never saw any NFL action.