Patriots Place Hightower, Branch on PUP List to Open Training Camp

Training Camp Dates Open to Public 

Gates will open one hour before practice and close one hour after practice ends. 

Practice schedule throughout training camp is subject to change at any time.

• July 27 - Morning Practice - 9 a.m. 
• July 28 - Morning Practice - 9 a.m. 
• July 29 - Morning Practice - 9 a.m. 
• July 29 - Patriots Hall of Fame Induction - Noon 
• July 30 - Morning Practice - 9 a.m. 
• August 7 - Joint practice with the Jacksonville Jaguars - time TBD
• August 8 - Joint practice with the Jacksonville Jaguars - time TBD

PHOTO: Patriots.com 

New Faces From Draft 

The Patriots added four players via the 2017 NFL Draft. 

Third Round

With pick number 83, the Patriots selected defensive end Derek Rivers (pictured) from Youngstown State. He will wear number 95 in training camp. 

Rivers is a 6’4” 250 pound edge rusher who was a three year starter at Youngstown State. He set a school record with 41 sacks in his career. 

The Patriots used the 85th pick to select Antonio Garcia, an offensive lineman from Troy. Garcia will wear number 63 in training camp. 

Garcia is a 6’6” 302 pound offensive lineman out of Troy who has some experience playing left tackle.

Fourth Round

The Patriots drafted defensive end Deatrich Wise in the fourth round. 

Wise is a 6’5” 274 pound defensive end out of Arkansas. He finished his college career with 112 tackles, 16.5 tackles and 4 forced fumbles in 50 games. He will wear number 91 for the Patriots. 

Sixth Round 

The Patriots took offensive tackle Connor McDermott in the sixth round. 

McDermott is a 6’8 305 pound tackle out of UCLA and former NFL head coach Jim Mora.

PHOTO: Patriots.com

New Faces From Signings

The biggest move the Patriots made this offseason was acquiring wide receiver Brandin Cooks from the New Orleans Saints. He will wear number 14 in New England. 

Cooks, 23 years-old, was taken 20th overall in the 2014 NFL draft and has one year remaining on his rookie contract with a fifth year team option.

Last season, Cooks finished with a career high 1,173 yards on 78 catches and eight touchdowns playing with the Saints. 

Stephon Gilmore 

On the first day of free agency, the Patriots signed cornerback Stephon Gilmore from the Buffalo Bills. He will wear number 24 for the Patriots. 

Gilmore had five interceptions and 48 tackles for the Bills last season. 

Kony Ealy 

On the same day they traded for Cooks they also acquired defensive end Kony Ealy from the Carolina Panthers. Ealy will wear number 94 for the Patriots. 

Last season with Carolina, Ealy recorded 32 tackles and five sacks to go along with two forced fumbles. 

Dwayne Allen

The Patriots signed former Indianapolis Colt tight end Dwayne Allen to play alongside Rob Gronkowski. 

Allen had 35 catches for 405 yards and six touchdowns last season with the Colts. 

Other Notable Signings 

The Patriots also signed runningbacks Mike Gillislee and Rex Burkehead from Buffalo and Cincinnatti respectively. 

Most recently, New England signed linebacker David Harris from the New York Jets and wide receiver Andrew Hawkins from the Cleveland Browns. 

Who is Gone

The Patriots lost a number of key players off their Super Bowl roster this offseason. 

RB LeGarrette Blount- After rushing for 18 touchdowns last season, Blount signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. 

TE Martellus Bennett - Bennett signed with the Green Bay Packers in the offseason after catching seven touchdown passes for the Patriots last season. 

CB Logan Ryan - Ryan signed with the Tennessee Titans in the offseason after recording 92 combined tackles and two interceptions for the Patriots last season. 

DE Chris Long - Long signed with the Philadelphia Eagles after serving in a part time role with the Patriots. He had 35 tackles and four sacks on the year. 

LB Jabaal Sheard - Sheard signed with the Indianapolis Colts after recording five sacks for the Patriots last season. 

What Positions are the Battles For

Running Back 

The Patriots enter camp with seven running backs and two full backs on the roster, including new comers Rex Burkhead and Mike Gillislee. 

James White is already the proven commodity for the Patriots, while Gillislee and Burkehead both served in backup roles in Cincinatti and Buffalo respectively. 

A big question at the running back positon will be Dion Lewis, now over a year removed from a torn ACL. Can he return to his 2015 form? If not, his role could be reduced. 

Cornerback 

Malcolm Butler and Gilmore have two spots locked up, but there is competiton for the third cornerback spot that the Patriots use in Nickel packages depending on matchups. 

Returning veteran Eric Rowe will enter camp with the advantage, but wil be challenged by Justin Coleman, Cyrus Jones and Jonathan Jones. 

Weaknesses 

Special Teams 

The Patriots had issues on the special teams unit last season. 

Stephen Gostkowski made just 84% of his field goals last season and missed numerous extra points. 

Cyrus Jones (pictured) was ranked by pro football focus as the worst return specialist in the league. New England used Jones to take the work load from Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola. 

Offensive Line Depth 

The Patriots return all their starters on the offensive line from last year's team and added rookies Tony Garcia and Conor McDermott in the draft. 

However, depth could be an issue, especially on the inside, if and when injuries happen. 

Vegas Odds for a Repeat

The Patriots enter training camp as heavy favorites to repeat as Super Bowl champions. 

According to the Westgate Las Vegas Super Book, the Patriots are 3-1 favorites to repeat as champions. 

The odds are 7-1 that they will face the Dallas Cowboys in the Super Bowl. 

Super Bowl 52 is set for February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.