FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots haven’t had much to smile about over the past few seasons, following up a Super Bowl 53 win with four seasons that featured a pair of first-round playoff exits and two seasons that ended with them outside of the postseason completely.
“Those of us who’ve been here, we have not enjoyed these last couple of seasons,” Patriots longtime special teams captain Matt Slater said Tuesday. “Football is a lot more fun when you’re winning.”
Slater and his teammates are hoping the start of training camp on Wednesday will serve as a rebirth of sorts.
New England will open training camp on Wednesday having tied up most of its pressing offseason loose ends after a summer of adjustments to their roster and coaching staff.
Coach Bill Belichick confirmed that defensive back Jack Jones will be on the field Wednesday after pleading not guilty to nine counts of weapons violations in connection with his arrest last month at Boston’s Logan Airport security checkpoint with two loaded guns in his carry-on bag.
He is currently on bail pending an Aug. 18 probable cause hearing. Belichick declined further comment, citing the pending litigation.
Slater said he is taking a position of support and being a listening post for Jones as his case works its way through the court system.
“I think the easy thing to do is turn your back on someone like that and just cast him aside,” Slater said. “The hard thing to do would be to support them, love them, and try and listen to them. That’s what I’m trying to do.”
One of the biggest outstanding questions entering the preseason was the status of veteran defensive lineman Lawrence Guy, who skipped the team’s mandatory minicamp last month because of an apparent issue related to his contact.
Guy was among the veterans that reported on Tuesday.
Asked if he thinks the issue that kept Guy from attending offseason workouts has been resolved, Belichick said that’s to be determined.
“We’ll see,” he said. “It’s football season. Most players play football in football season. We’ll see how it goes.”
The Patriots will open camp with several notable additions, headlined by receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who comes over from defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City.
Schuster was limited during the spring as he recovers from a knee injury he suffered during last season’s Super Bowl run. He’s been working out and arrived at the team facility a few days in advance of reporting day, Belichick said.
Schuster will be joined by fellow free agency signings in offensive lineman Riley Reiff and Calvin Anderson. Both will be vying to fill the void created by the Patriots’ decision not to re-sign 2018 first-round pick and starting tackle Isaiah Wynn.
New England also will continue to break in a draft class led by first-round pick and cornerback Christian Gonzalez, and edge rusher Keion White, a second-round pick. Both came to agreements on their rookie contracts on Friday.
One player that won’t be in a Patriots uniform is receiver DeAndre Hopkins. He was courted during a visit to New England. But he ultimately opted to sign with the Tennessee Titans earlier this month.
“We have so many roster spots, some sign here and some sign somewhere else,” Belichick said. “When there is an agreement, there is an agreement. When there is not, there are 31 other teams.”
While plenty will be worked out between Wednesday and the final roster cutdown to 53 players on Aug. 29, one thing Slater said he has no doubts about is the passion that still motivates Belichick as the 71-year-old enters his 29th season as an NFL head coach.
“His desire to win, his desire to build a winner, his desire to instruct the players on this team in terms of how to be a player, how to be a pro, how to respect the game — that fire still burns bright,” Slater said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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