fb-pixelWhat you need to know for 2015 Patriots training camp - The Boston Globe Skip to main content

What you need to know for 2015 Patriots training camp

The Patriots’ first preseason game is Aug. 13 against Green Bay.File/The Boston Globe/Globe Freelance

Here is what you need to know about Patriots training camp.

Key dates

Rookies report: July 23

Veterans report: Wednesday, July 29

First practice open to the public: Thursday, July 30, 9:15 a.m.

Other announced practice dates: Friday, July 31 (9:15 a.m.), Saturday, Aug. 1 (9:15 a.m.), Sunday, Aug. 2 (9:15 a.m.); Aug. 3-4 (TBA)

Patriots Hall of Fame induction: 5 p.m. on Aug. 5

Preseason opener: Aug. 13 vs. Green Bay

Training camp info

Phone: 508-549-0001

Online: patriots.com/trainingcamp

New names, new faces

A look at who is new to Patriots training camp this year, rookies and veterans who signed this offseason with the team:

Rookie Position Height Weight Jersey No. Acquired
David Andrews C 6-3 294 60 Undrafted free agent out of Georgia.
Malcom Brown DL 6-2 320 92 First-round pick out of Texas.
Joe Cardona LS 6-3 236 49 Fifth-round pick out of Navy.
AJ Derby TE 6-5 255 86 Sixth-round pick out of Arkansas.
Xzavier Dickson LB 6-3 266 42 Seventh-round pick out of Alabama.
Trey Flowers DL 6-2 266 74 Fourth-round pick out of Arkansas.
Geneo Grissom DL 6-4 252 48 Third-round pick out of Oklahoma.
Chris Harper WR 5-11 175 14 Undrafted free agent out of Cal.
Tre' Jackson G 6-4 330 63 Fourth-round pick out of Florida State.
Jimmy Jean DB 6-3 180 35 Undrafted free agent out of UAB.
Brandon King DB 6-2 213 36 Undrafted free agent out of Auburn.
D.J. Lynch LB 6-0 252 45 Undrafted free agent out of Bowling Green.
Shaq Mason OL 6-1 300 69 Fourth-round pick out of Georgia Tech.
Jimmay Mundine TE 6-2 240 81 Undrafted free agent out of Kansas.
Zach D'Orazio WR 6-2 212 -- Undrafted free agent out of Akron.
Jordan Richards DB 5-11 210 37 Second-round pick out of Stanford.
Darryl Roberts DB 6-0 182 28 Seventh-round pick out of Marshall.
Vince Taylor DL 6-2 310 64 Undrafted free agent out of Vanderbilt.
Matt Wells LB 6-2 215 44 Sixth-round pick out of Mississippi State.
Newcomer Year Position Height Weight No. Acquired Previous team
Kevin Hughes 3 OT 6-4 315 72 Free agent signed in May. CAR
Travaris Cadet 4 RB 6-1 210 39 Free agent signed in March. NO
Jonathan Freeny 4 LB 6-2 254 55 Restricted free agent signed in March. MIA
Derek Cox 5 DB 6-1 195 34 Free agent signed in June. SD
Robert McClain 5 CB 5-9 195 22 Free agent signed in March. ATL
Jabaal Sheard 5 DL 6-3 264 93 Free agent signed in March. CLE
Dekoda Watson 6 LB 6-2 240 41 Free agent signed in May. JAX/DAL
Bradley Fletcher 7 CB 6-0 200 24 Free agent signed in March. PHI
Brandon Gibson 7 WR 6-0 210 13 Free agent signed in March. MIA
Scott Chandler 8 TE 6-7 260 88 Free agent signed in March. BUF
Tarell Brown 8 CB 5-11 190 -- Free agent signed in July OAK

Training camp map

Position battles

Running backs

Who’s in contention: LeGarrette Blount, James White, Brandon Bolden, Jonas Gray, Travaris Cadet, Tyler Gaffney, Dion Lewis, and James Develin.

Advertisement



Briefly: Bill Belichick has always viewed running back as an interchangeable position. These eight are likely battling for five spots, with Blount carrying a suspension for Week 1 and White and Gaffney holding practice squad eligibility.

Wide receivers

Who’s in contention: Julian Edelman, Brandon LaFell, Danny Amendola, Aaron Dobson, Brian Tyms, Josh Boyce, Brandon Gibson, Jonathan Krause, Chris Harper, and Zach D’Orazio.

Briefly: Three of the five spots are already claimed by Edelman, LaFell, and Amendola. But the final two (or possibly three) are wide open.

Guards

Who’s in contention: Ryan Wendell, Josh Kline, Jordan Devey, Cameron Fleming, Marcus Cannon, Tre’ Jackson, Shaq Mason, and Chris Barker.

Briefly: The Patriots have a hole at left guard with Dan Connolly’s retirement. It’s pretty clear the team views Jackson and Mason as the guards of the future after drafting them in the fourth round, But could the future be now?

Linebackers

Who’s in contention: Jerod Mayo, Dont’a Hightower, Jamie Collins, Dane Fletcher, Dekoda Watson, Jonathan Freeny, Darius Fleming, James Morris, Chris White, Rufus Johnson, Eric Martin, and Matthew Wells.

Briefly: The Patriots have 12 linebackers on the roster, plus four hybrid DE/OLB types in Rob Ninkovich, Chandler Jones, Jabaal Sheard, and Geneo Grissom. This is a reflection of the uncertainty the Patriots face at the position in the early portion of the season, with Hightower’s return following shoulder surgery and Mayo coming off a torn meniscus. There is a wide-open competition for three or four spots (depending on if Hightower begins the season on short-term IR or the Physically Unable to Perform list).

Advertisement



Cornerbacks

Who’s in contention: Tarell Brown, Logan Ryan, Malcolm Butler, Bradley Fletcher, Robert McClain, Justin Green, Dax Swanson, Darryl Roberts, Brandon King, Jimmy Jean, and Eric Patterson.

Briefly: The top four spots are accounted for in Ryan, Butler, Fletcher, and McClain, but the battle for playing time is wide open. Butler should see a significant increase in playing time this year, while McClain should replace Kyle Arrington as the slot defender. The other players will battle for the fifth spot.

Safeties

Who’s in contention: Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung, Duron Harmon, Nate Ebner, Tavon Wilson, Jordan Richards, and Dax Swanson.

Briefly: McCourty anchors this group after signing a lucrative deal with the team. Richards, a second-round pick this year, was late to OTAs because he was finishing his coursework to earn his degree from Stanford and is the only newcomer to this bunch.

Traditions

■ Fans usually sing Brady Happy Birthday on his birthday, Aug. 3. (He’ll be 38 this year.) One year, lineman Matt Light smushed a cake in Brady’s face. Two years ago, “Happy 40th Birthday, Tom” T-shirts were made for the whole team. He was only 36.

Advertisement



File/The Boston Globe

■ The rookies, at some point, go through a muddy slip-n-slide. The equipment workers soak a back corner of the field, and rookies have to dive into the slop while being hosed down by a veteran (usually Brady).

■ After each practice session, a position group (or two, depending on how many players are in each position group) spends time signing autographs for fans.

Misc.

■ Parking and admission are free. Practices are on the fields behind Gillette Stadium.

■ The schedule throughout training camp is tentative and subject to change. Fans planning to attend practice should to check Patriots.com for daily updates or call the training camp hotline at 508-549-0001.

■ When the Patriots are forced to practice indoors because of inclement weather or poor field conditions, practices will be closed to the public.

■ There are concessions positioned at various locations around the practice fields and the Patriots Fan Zone.

■ Prohibited items: Animals (except service animals assisting those with disabilities), alcohol, beach balls, bullhorns and air horns, coolers, fireworks or pyrotechnics, flags will be allowed, flag poles longer than 2 feet will not be allowed, helium balloons, illegal drugs or any other illegal substance, laser pens, noise makers, video cameras, weapons of any kind (including knives), unmanned aircraft systems, remotely controlled model aircraft, selfie sticks, GoPro cameras.

Directions to Patriots training camp

From Boston and farther north: Take I-95 South to Exit 9. Follow Rte. 1 south approximately 3 miles to Gillette Stadium (on the left).

Advertisement



From Cape Cod: I-495 North to Exit 14A. Follow Rte. 1 north about 4 miles to Gillette Stadium (on the right).

From southern Connecticut, Rhode Island: Take I-95 North to I-495 North to Exit 14A. Follow Rte. 1 north about 4 miles to Gillette Stadium (on the right).

From northern Connecticut, Vermont, upstate New York: I-90 East to I-495 South to Exit 14A. Follow Rte. 1 north about 4 miles to Gillette Stadium (on the right).

Key league dates
Date What
Aug. 11 Deadline for players under contract to report to earn a season of free-agency credit
Aug. 11 If a drafted rookie has not been signed by this date, he can't be traded this season
Aug. 15-19 Teams must inform unsigned players they're headed for the exempt list
Sept. 1 Rosters cut to 75 by 4 p.m. ET
Sept. 5 Rosters cut to 53 on active/inactive list by 6 p.m. ET
Sept. 5 Players on PUP or non-football injury lists must move from active to reserve
Sept. 6 After noon, practice squads of 10 can be formed
Sept. 8 After 4 p.m. ET, teams can deem a player on IR as designated for return
Sept. 9 Teams must file season's first injury report by 4 p.m. ET
Oct. 20 Players on PUP or non-football injury lists can begin practicing
Nov. 3 Trade deadline, 4 p.m. ET
Jan. 4 Teams may begin signing free agents for 2016 season
Source: NFL
Preseason schedule
Date Opponent Time
Aug. 13 vs. Green Bay 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 22 at New Orleans 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 28 at Carolina 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 3 vs. NY Giants 7:30 p.m.
Regular season schedule
Date Opponent Time
Sept. 10 vs. Pittsburgh 8:30 p.m.
Sept. 20 at Buffalo 1 p.m.
Sept. 27 vs. Jacksonville 1 p.m.
Oct. 11 at Dallas 4:25 p.m.
Oct. 18 at Indianapolis 8:30 p.m.
Oct. 25 vs. NY Jets 1 p.m.
Oct. 29 vs. Miami 8:25 p.m.
Nov. 8 vs. Washington 1 p.m.
Nov. 15 at NY Giants 4:25 p.m.
Nov. 23 vs. Buffalo 8:30 p.m.
Nov. 29 at Denver 8:30 p.m.
Dec. 6 vs. Philadelphia 4:25 p.m.
Dec. 13 at Houston 1 p.m.
Dec. 20 vs. Tennessee 1 p.m.
Dec. 27 at NY Giants 1 p.m.
Jan. 3 at Miami 1 p.m.
Postseason schedule
Date Game TV
Jan. 9 and 10 AFC and NFC Wild Cards CBS, ESPN, FOX, NBC
Jan. 16 and 17 AFC and NFC Divisionals CBS, FOX, NBC
Jan. 24 AFC and NFC Championships CBS, FOX, NBC
Jan. 31 Pro Bowl in Hawaii ESPN
Feb. 7 Super Bowl 50 CBS
Source: NFL

Ben Volin and Shalise Manza Young of the Globe staff contributed to this report.