Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore was a limited participant at practice Wednesday as he continues his recovery from a knee injury that sidelined him for the last two games. Winslow Townson/Associated Press
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Somewhat surprisingly, the New England Patriots had perfect attendance at their first practice following a Monday Night Football victory.
That means running back Damien Harris was present after taking a nasty hit and leaving the Jets game, and wide receiver N’Keal Harry returned after missing two weeks because of a concussion. Running back J.J. Taylor was back after battling an illness, and offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor was present on the first day he was eligible to return from injured reserve.
New wide receiver acquisitions Isaiah Ford and Isaiah Mack were present, so they’ve made it through the COVID-19 protocols to join the team. Cornerback Stephon Gilmore, linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley and defensive lineman Lawrence Guy – all of whom missed Monday’s game – were on the field, too.
The Patriots are getting all hands on deck at the right time, as they’ve got a lofty task awaiting them. Coach Bill Belichick’s team opened as seven-point underdogs for a Sunday night matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. It’s the first time an opponent has been favored by a touchdown in Foxborough since 2001.
“As we know, the Ravens are an outstanding football team and organization,” Belichick said Wednesday morning. “They’ve done a tremendous job there with their consistency and built a very solid football team – very good in all three phases of the game. They are well-coached, have good size, they’re physical, they’re an explosive team.
“They’ve had a kickoff return for a touchdown, scooped up a fumble last week against Indianapolis for a touchdown and obviously have a lot of big-play potential on offense. But they’re a physical, hard-nosed team that can run the ball, stop the run, play good in the kicking game. So, a big challenge for us this week to get ready to go in all three phases.”
TIGHT END SHUFFLE: The Patriots placed rookie tight end Dalton Keene on injured reserve, waived rookie linebacker Cassh Maluia and added three tight ends.
Keene missed the last two games because of a knee injury. He will now miss the next three, meaning the soonest he can return is Week 13 at the Chargers on Dec. 6. Keene had surpassed fellow third-round rookie tight end Devin Asiasi on the depth chart before Asiasi went on IR with an unspecified injury.
The team filled his roster spot by claiming former Cardinals tight end Jordan Thomas off waivers. Thomas, 24, spent the past two months in Arizona and appeared in four games. He caught one pass for a 3-yard touchdown. At 6-foot-5 and 277 pounds, he is at least 20 pounds heavier than the rest of the Patriots’ tight ends.
Thomas signed with the Cardinals after starting his career as a Texans sixth-round pick in 2018. His best season to date remains his rookie year, when he caught 20 passes and four touchdowns.
The Patriots also signed free-agent tight ends David Wells and Dylan Cantrell to their practice squad. Cantrell is a converted wide receiver who transitioned earlier this year upon signing with Arizona. The 6-foot-3, 240-pounder projects more as a pass-catching tight end in New England. He entered the league as a wide receiver with the Chargers in 2018, when he spent most of the season on their practice squad.
Wells, at 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds, was released from Chiefs training camp two summers ago. The Patriots cut defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow from their practice squad to make room for him.
BELICHICK ON HEINSOHN: Belichick said he got to know Tommy Heinsohn while attending Celtics games, and through his longtime girlfriend Linda Holliday, who had interviewed Heinsohn for a piece in Style Boston.
Heinsohn died on Tuesday at age 86.
“What a tremendous career he had as a player and coach, and even as a broadcaster, he ended up bringing so many great Celtics moments to the fans,” said Belichick. “I think he had such a great connection to the entire Boston community and fan base. … He was an awesome guy … it was a pleasure and honor to get to know him. He was a wonderful man.”
CAM’S PROGRESSION: During a teleconference with the media, Belichick gave positive reviews of Cam Newton against the Jets, especially compared with some of his previous performances.
“I think Cam’s made steady progress throughout the course of the season,” said Belichick. “But he did a good job (Monday) night, for the most part, getting the ball out on time.”
Belichick noted his ability to get away from pressure, which was an important factor during Monday night’s 30-27 win over the Jets.
“He was able to elude the rush a couple times. On that last drive, he was able to get the ball out for an incomplete pass and avoid a sack which turned out to be valuable yards on the final kick,” said Belichick. “But overall, the ball came out pretty quickly last night. The Jets put a lot of pressure on him. I thought he did a good job of identifying pre-snap where he wanted to go, and got the ball into the right place.”
TEREZ HALL?: With Ja’Whaun Bentley out Monday because of an injury, Belichick called up Terez Hall from the practice squad, instead of using rookies Anfernee Jennings and Josh Uche.
The latter two were in for limited defensive snaps, combining for 11.
By the sound of it, Belichick went with a player in Hall who has had more time in the system.
“Terez has worked some at that spot. He stepped in and did a solid job for us,” said Belichick. “He’s been with us for a year and a half. He’s worked hard and made steady improvement.”
BILL BELICHICK’S disdain for the New York Jets has never been a secret. After escaping with a last second-win Monday night, Belichick piled on.
During his weekly appearance on WEEI radio on Tuesday, Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl winning head coach, said that resigning from the Jets was one of the best moments of his luminous career.
“(That was) not only one of the most defining, but one of the great moments of my career,” said Belichick. “That, combined with Robert (Kraft) giving me the opportunity to come here, I couldn’t have asked for anything more.
“That wasn’t a good situation for me, and I didn’t want to be any part of it. So, I wasn’t. The other half of that was Robert giving me the opportunity to come here, and trading, he gave up quite a bit to get me to come here. That was a big trade. So I’m very thankful that it worked out.”
Twenty years ago, Kraft gave up a ransom for Belichick, surrendering the Patriots first-round pick (16th overall) in 2000, as well as his fourth- and seventh-round picks in 2001 to New York in exchange for the head coach. The Jets also gave New England a fifth-round pick in ’01 and a seventh-rounder in ’02.
“I appreciate all the support from Robert and the Kraft family and the Patriots organization and all the New England fans. I’ll just keep trying to do my best for this team and this organization, giving the very best that I can,” Belichick went on. “I’m very thankful for the opportunity to come here. I just wasn’t going to stay there in that situation.”
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