Three Players Return to Patriots Practice

There was some good news for the New England Patriots on the injury front today, as three players practiced for the first time during the regular season. OL Riley Reiff, DE Trey Flowers and ST Cody Davis all participated in their first practice of the season since being able to return.

Riley Reiff

Riley Reiff was considered a big free agent addition by Bill Belichick to help shore up the offensive line. However, Reiff struggled in training camp and bounced between right tackle and guard. After suffering a knee injury in the Patriots preseason finale against the Titans, Reiff was placed on injured reserve.

Players who begin the season the season on injured reserve are not able to return until after week four. So the good news is that Reiff is coming back at the earliest possible time. Considering the struggles of New England’s offensive line to start the season, he should be able to compete for playing time as soon as he’s cleared to play in games.

Reiff being cleared to practice now activates a 21 day window for the New England Patriots. They now have three weeks to either activate him to the 53 man roster, place him on season ending IR, or trade/waive him.

Trey Flowers and Cody Davis

Joining Riley Reiff at practice today were Trey Flowers and Cody Davis. Both players had been placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list during training camp. Neither had participated in practice for the New England Patriots, which made them eligible for the designation.

Trey Flowers was placed on the PUP list almost immediately after he signed with New England for a second tour of duty. With the injury to Matthew Judon on Sunday, Flowers could give the Patriots a boost to their pass rush.

Cody Davis has been with the Patriots since 2020. He has been excellent on special teams. It is unclear if the Patriots would be willing to add him to the 53 man roster playing exclusively special teams. Although this is an area Bill Belichick certainly values, there are several other areas of need on the New England Patriots roster.

Matthew Slater, Brendan Schooler and Chris Board are all exclusively special teams players. Also, Adrian Phillips and Mack Wilson Sr. have become primarily special teams specialists as well. In will be interesting to see if a healthy Davis can earn his job back.

Jack Jones and Tyquan Thornton

Maybe more noticeable than who was back for the New England Patriots was who was not. Both CB Jack Jones (hamstring) and WR Tyquan Thornton (shoulder) were eligible to practice today but did not. They were each on the injured reserve list, which kept them out through at least week four.

Jack Jones would have been a welcomed sight for Bill Belichick. Despite the addition of J.C. Jackson earlier in the day, the cornerback depth is still extremely thin. Currently none of the top four cornerbacks to begin the season (Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones, Jack Jones) are healthy. Jack Jones had said he would be back ASAP but there is no telling what that means.

Asap mean “as soon as possible” I never said a date

— Jack Jones🏄🏽‍♂️ (@presidentjacc) September 30, 2023

There was some speculation Tyquan Thornton would be back but he was also a no show. The second year speedster is their best deep threat. He would help create more room for the offense to work just by his presence on the field.

The New England Patriots are hoping to get everyone back in action ASAP. With the issues with injuries and performance at the moment, they need all the help they can get.