FOXBOROUGH — After spending the large majority of training camp on the physically unable to perform list, tight end Daniel Fells made his preseason debut last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, confident that his veteran presence will add to the Patriots’ already explosive 1-2 combination at tight end.

The Patriots signed Fells in March for depth behind Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski, and although his participation has been minimal, he plans to be an important piece on a team that lacked a reliable third tight end.