Six Patriots missed practice following cuts, seven returned to team P

FOXBORO — The Patriots held their first practice since the cuts on Wednesday, with six members of their initial 53-man roster absent.

Starting left tackle Vederian Lowe and starting left guard Sidy Sow were not seen during the open press portion of practice, nor were wide receiver Jalen Reagor, cornerback Isaiah Bolden, offensive lineman Michael Jordan and defensive tackle Trysten Hill.

Linebackers Joshua Uche and Christian Elliss were present but did not participate.

Sow suffered an ankle injury Sunday in the final preseason game at Washington, which head coach Jerod Mayo said is not considered too serious. Lowe has been out of several practices because of an apparent lower back issue. Uche has been out for more than a week with an undisclosed injury, while Elliss suffered a head injury against the Commanders.

The Patriots released Reagor, Bolden, Jordan and Hill to make room for players they claimed off waivers Wednesday. The four players claimed — offensive tackles Demontrey Jacobs and Zachary Thomas, defensive tackle Eric Johnson and linebacker Curtis Jacobs — had not yet arrived at Gillette Stadium.

A total of seven players the Patriots released Tuesday were present at Wednesday’s practice, indicating they had been re-signed to the practice squad. They are running backs Terrell Jennings and Kevin Harris, tight end Mitchell Wilcox, offensive lineman Liam Fornadel, defensive end Jotham Russell, safety AJ Thomas and wide receiver Matt Landers.

Since the Patriots have an international exemption for Russell, a former Australian rugby player, that means they still had 10 additional openings on their 16-man P squad.

Though Mayo said he won’t announce his Week 1 starting quarterback to the team until Thursday, the Patriots continued to treat veteran Jacoby Brissett as their QB1 in Wednesday’s practice, giving him the first few reps ahead of rookie Drake Maye while reporters were present.

Brissett also changed his jersey number from No. 14 to No. 7, which he wore during his rookie season in New England in 2016. No. 7 previously belonged to wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who was released earlier this month.

The Patriots will hold another practice on Thursday before taking a three-day break over the holiday weekend.

Originally published: August 28, 2024 at 3:33 p.m.