The New England Patriots will be back at work for a third straight day on Friday morning: t is time for their third training camp practice of the summer. The session will once again take place in shorts and helmets, as part of the lead-up to the first full-pads workout next week.
Other than that, here is everything else you need to know about practice No. 3.
Schedule
The Patriots’ third training camp session will again take place on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium. As are most other sessions, it
is open to the general public at no cost.
- 9:15 a.m. ET: Gates open
- 9:45 am. ET: Mike Vrabel press conference
- 10 a.m. ET: Practice
- ca. 12 p.m. ET: Player availability (Garrett Bradbury, Keion White, K’Lavon Chaisson, Christian Elliss, Marcus Jones, Kyle Dugger)
As always, the schedule is tentative and subject to change. For more information, please visit our Pats Pulpit Training Camp Guide.
Story of the day
It’s going to be a hot one in Foxborough on Friday, with temperatures expected to reach the high 80s for the first time this camp. Naturally, the conditions will take a strain on the players and might impact how practice is conducted. Will Mike Vrabel put the pressure on his team? The expectation is that he will not, but it will still be interesting to see whether or not he and his team take some measures to account for what will be a challenging environment.
Injuries to monitor
NFI: S Josh Minkins
PUP: WR Mack Hollins, TE Austin Hooper, OT Vederian Lowe
DNP: WR Ja’Lynn Polk, DT Jahvaree Ritzie, CB Carlton Davis
Limited: DT Christian Barmore
The Patriots’ list of absentees grew to seven on Thursday, with cornerback Carlton Davis and defensive tackle Jahvaree Ritzie joining Ja’Lynn Polk on the sidelines. In addition, defensive tackle Christian Barmore was a limited participant even though he claimed that he was in the best shape of his career.
Players to watch
WR Kyle Williams: After a nice debut on Wednesday, Williams’ second day in camp was more quiet. The third-round rookie dropped his only target, and did not see Drake Maye throw a single pass his way in a competitive setting all session. With the Patriots potentially looking to incorporate more downfield throws again — they mostly focused on the short and quick game on Day 2 — maybe the young wideout will get more chances again.
RB Lan Larison: With Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson and TreVeyon Henderson atop the depth chart, the Patriots’ undrafted rookie had a quiet day on Thursday. That being said, he did manage to haul in a pass from fellow UDFA Ben Wooldridge. He will need to continue to make the most of his opportunities if he wants to join the top trio on the eventual depth chart this fall.
DT Khyiris Tonga: With Christian Barmore limited, the Patriots gave their offseason signing an increased role on Thursday. The 6-foot-2, 335-pound Tonga might have the build of more of an early-down run stuffer, but he did manage to provide some pressure against the interior offensive line alongside regular starting DT Milton Williams.
ED Bradyn Swinson: The fifth-round draft pick has had a good start to his first training camp, seeing time with the top defense on Thursday and even registering a would-be sack along the way. The Patriots are relying on him or free agency addition K’Lavon Chaisson (or ideally both) to become viable pass rush specialists on the edge.
P Bryce Baringer: The Patriots gave their placekickers an opportunity to showcase themselves on Thursday, and might turn to their punt team on Friday. If so, third-year punter Bryce Baringer will naturally be a player worth keeping a close eye on.
Pats Pulpit will have you covered throughout the day, so please make sure to regularly check back to patspulpit.com for all the latest news from camp. Credentialed Patriots beat writers Brian Hines (@iambrianhines) and Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) will also bring you live updates on social media.
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