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 | Jersey No. | Acquired |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Andrews | C | 60 | Undrafted free agent out of Georgia. |
| Malcom Brown | DL | 92 | First-round pick out of Texas. |
| Joe Cardona | LS | 49 | Fifth-round pick out of Navy. |
| AJ Derby | TE | 86 | Sixth-round pick out of Arkansas. |
| Xzavier Dickson | LB | 42 | Seventh-round pick out of Alabama. |
| Trey Flowers | DL | 74 | Fourth-round pick out of Arkansas. |
| Geneo Grissom | DL | 48 | Third-round pick out of Oklahoma. |
| Chris Harper | WR | 14 | Undrafted free agent out of Cal. |
| Tre' Jackson | G | 63 | Fourth-round pick out of Florida State. |
| Jimmy Jean | DB | 35 | Undrafted free agent out of UAB. |
| Brandon King | DB | 36 | Undrafted free agent out of Auburn. |
| D.J. Lynch | LB | 45 | Undrafted free agent out of Bowling Green. |
| Shaq Mason | OL | 69 | Fourth-round pick out of Georgia Tech. |
| Jimmay Mundine | TE | 81 | Undrafted free agent out of Kansas. |
| Zach D'Orazio | WR | -- | Undrafted free agent out of Akron. |
| Jordan Richards | DB | 37 | Second-round pick out of Stanford. |
| Darryl Roberts | DB | 28 | Seventh-round pick out of Marshall. |
| Vince Taylor | DL | 64 | Undrafted free agent out of Vanderbilt. |
| Matt Wells | LB | 44 | Sixth-round pick out of Mississippi State. |
| Newcomer | Year | Position | No. | Acquired |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Hughes | 3 | OT | 72 | Free agent signed in May. |
| Travaris Cadet | 4 | RB | 39 | Free agent signed in March. |
| Jonathan Freeny | 4 | LB | 55 | Restricted free agent signed in March. |
| Derek Cox | 5 | DB | 34 | Free agent signed in June. |
| Robert McClain | 5 | CB | 22 | Free agent signed in March. |
| Jabaal Sheard | 5 | DL | 93 | Free agent signed in March. |
| Dekoda Watson | 6 | LB | 41 | Free agent signed in May. |
| Bradley Fletcher | 7 | CB | 24 | Free agent signed in March. |
| Brandon Gibson | 7 | WR | 13 | Free agent signed in March. |
| Scott Chandler | 8 | TE | 88 | Free agent signed in March. |
| Tarell Brown | 8 | CB | -- | Free agent signed in July |
Training camp map
Position battles
Who’s in contention: LeGarrette Blount, James White, Brandon Bolden, Jonas Gray, Travaris Cadet, Tyler Gaffney, Dion Lewis, and James Develin.
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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.
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.
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?
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).
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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.
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.
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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).
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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).
| 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 |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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 |
Ben Volin and Shalise Manza Young of the Globe staff contributed to this report.