After getting Sunday off, the New England Patriots returned to the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium earlier today to kick off their preparations for this week’s third preseason game against the Carolina Panthers. As opposed to previous sessions this summer, Monday’s practice was not open to the public while reporters only were allowed to watch the first few minutes — with the players doing little more than warming up.
However, those few minutes made clear that the Patriots received some much-needed offensive reinforcements as multiple previously injured players were back on the field. The biggest news is obviously the return of wide receiver Julian Edelman, who opened training camp on the non-football injury list after hurting his finger earlier this summer.