Patriots’ N’Keal Harry returns to practice, but Michael Bennett is nowhere to be seen
Injuries to Matt LaCosse and Jakob Johnson have opened roster spots for some new faces.
FOXBOROUGH – The Patriots welcomed several new players to practice Tuesday, but also had a few missing.
Wide receiver N’Keal Harry, who had a hamstring issue during the preseason and went on injured reserve just after the season began, officially returned to practice. He was out on the practice field at Gillette Stadium the first day he was eligible to return.
He is not on the active roster, nor does he need to be to keep practicing for the next 21 days. The Patriots must activate him within that window if they want him back this season. The earliest he can return is after Week 8, which would be in time for the Ravens game on Nov. 3.
Regardless of when or if Harry is activated, his return to practice means he takes up one of the two slots the Patriots are allotted for players who can come off IR. Left tackle Isaiah Wynn, who can return to practice during Week 9 and, at the earliest, to game action in Week 11 against the Eagles, is the likeliest option for the second slot.
Bill Belichick said Monday that his hope was to have Harry back at practice this week as long as he was physically ready. It appears he was.
The Patriots had other additions on offense present. Tight end Ben Watson, who re-signed Tuesday after the Patriots released him a week prior, was present, as was newly acquired tight end Eric Tomlinson.
Tomlinson, who the team signed to the 53-man roster according to the NFL Network, is a tight end/fullback who is primarily a blocker.
He entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2015 and has been with the Eagles, Texans, Jets and, most recently, the Giants.
From 2016-2018 with the Jets, Tomlinson played in 39 games and made 16 catches for 193 yards and a touchdown while also playing a sizeable role on special teams. According to ESPN Stats and Information, Tomlinson has lined up in the backfield on 74 snaps in his career.
The Jets cut Tomlinson around cut day this summer. He was picked up by the Giants and was on their roster for the first three games of this season before being let go there as well.
The need for new tight ends and players who can serve as extra blockers was created last Thursday when tight end Matt LaCosse injured his knee against the Giants and fullback Jakob Johnson suffered a shoulder injury that landed him on injured reserve.
“You have to adjust and you use what you have left,’’ offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said. “There’s always a way to move the ball, there’s always a way to take care of a football, there’s always a way to try to score points with what you have and in terms of your personnel groupings. So, that’s the mentality we have to take, whether it be fullback, tight end, receiver, whatever the position is that we’re a little light in.’’
Of course, the other option is to add to those positions, which is apparently the choice the Patriots made.
New England only had one open roster spot, so will need to create another opening. The logical man out would be third-string quarterback Cody Kessler, who indeed was not present for the start of the sunny Tuesday session.
Also not spotted during the portion of practice open to reporters were defensive lineman Michael Bennett and wide receiver Josh Gordon. Gordon injured his leg during last Thursday’s win over the Giants, while Bennett’s absence was unexplained. It was notable, though, since the veteran has not been getting much playing time.
Related: Why has Michael Bennett’s playing time dropped?
There were also a few apparent moves on the practice squad. Kicker Younghoe Koo, tight end Jason Vander Laan and offensive lineman Dan Skipper were not spotted at practice. According to ESPN, Koo was informed of his release Tuesday. There was a new receiver wearing No. 17 and a different lineman wearing Skipper’s old No. 67.
With the Patriots playing Monday, they won’t have to distribute an injury report until Thursday, but roster transactions will be processed in the afternoon.
