The team building process is in full swing for the New England Patriots. The team began their ninth day of training camp Saturday morning, and all returned to normal. After receiving his 41st birthday off, quarterback Tom Brady was back on the field leading the Patriots offense. Take a look at what else happened in the New England Patriots Day Nine training camp recap.
A Return to Health (Almost) – New England Patriots Day Nine Training Camp Recap
They’re Getting Healthy
Perhaps the biggest injury scare of camp so far was first-round running back Sony Michel. With Dion Lewis departed, Michel figured to play a big part in the Patriots offense. However, the running back suffered an injury on Wednesday’s practice session, and no update had been given.
That is, until today. The Athletic’s Jeff Howe first tweeted that Michel suffered “a minor knee injury.” While the running back didn’t return to practice today, it sounds like he should be back in the near future.
On cue, got an update: It’s a minor knee issue for Sony Michel. Sigh of relief for the team.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) August 4, 2018
In other health news, receivers Kenny Britt and Malcolm Mitchell both started the session in pads. Britt began training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list, but is now officially a part of the active roster. Mitchell, however, only warmed up with the team. Once the warmups concluded, Mitchell went down to the conditioning field. While Britt is a very welcome presence, it’s highly concerning that Mitchell cannot shake the knee injury he suffered in 2016.
Center David Andrews and defensive end Trey Flowers also participated today. While neither has missed a practice thus far, both suffered injury scares in yesterday’s practice. Fortunately, both are fine and should be healthy moving forward.
Battle for Receiver Depth
The New England Patriots officially signed wide receiver Eric Decker yesterday afternoon and wasted no time getting him involved. The former Titan, Jet, and Bronco joined the practice field and was immediately incorporated into the offense.
Tom Brady just had a long conversation with Eric Decker after QB/WR drills. Getting acquainted.
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) August 4, 2018
While Decker was getting acclimated, rookie Braxton Berrios was showing why he should be a part of the team. Berrios reportedly impressed from the slot, showing off great explosiveness. Berrios is anything but a roster lock, and the sixth-round pick continues to make a compelling argument to stick around.
Braxton Berrios has been impressive today. Very explosive. #Patriots
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) August 4, 2018
Etling Improves in Lighter Practice
With two scheduled days off after today, conventional wisdom suggested that this practice would be a physical, hard-nosed battle. Instead, the session consisted primarily of late-game situational plays for the first-team offense. Only the third-stringers played any type of competitive scrimmages, and rookie Danny Etling finally stood out positively.
Etling completed six of nine passes in the pouring rain without an interception. The rookie has had a rough camp, which is perfectly natural for a seventh-round developmental arm. Still, it’s good to see Etling’s hard work start to pay off. He probably won’t usurp Brian Hoyer for the backup role, but he could be a prime candidate for the practice squad.
What’s Going On With Kenny Britt?
While Britt did return to practice and was taken of the PUP, his practice session was anything but normal. While the team was doing 11-on-11 drills, Britt was hanging around with two small children. Afterward, he spoke with Robert Kraft for a few moments before departing for the locker room.
The Patriots get two days off before continuing practices on Tuesday. New England kicks off their preseason schedule on Thursday against the Washington Redskins.
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