5 quick-hit takeaways from the Patriots’ first training camp practice

The New England Patriots hosted their first practice on Wednesday to prepare for the 2020 NFL season. Because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Patriots — like the rest of the NFL — were forced to skip minicamp and offseason team activities. Instead, the Patriots have conducted the entire offseason online, with virtual meetings.

That means that this session was the team’s first time on the field together as a 2020 unit. That also meant the first look at quarterback Cam Newton along with the rookie class and free agent signings. Because the practice was closed, we were left to glean what we could from a video livestream and from the notes of pool reporters.

Here’s what we noticed in our…