Like they did last year, the New England Patriots will once again participate in two sets of joint practices during their training camp this summer. As head coach Mike Vrabel announced on Tuesday, his team will welcome the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles to Foxborough in August.
The Colts will visit on Aug. 11, ahead of the two teams’ preseason meeting at Gillette Stadium two days later. The Eagles will arrive the following week for two practices on Aug. 19 and 20.
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“As well as they worked out last year, certainly the one day with the Commanders here and then traveling to Minnesota, we’ll have Indianapolis on August 11th, which will be a very good team to go against,” Vrabel said.
“This is a very good offensive football team, Shane [Steichen]’s an excellent offensive coach and an excellent head coach. Very good offensive line, versatility on their defense, so that will be an important day for us. And then Philadelphia will come here for the 19th and 20th of August. That will allow us to work against an accomplished football team that’s used to winning and has a very good football team, great players, and [is] well-coached. ”
Both joint practice blocks will come with their own storylines. The single-day session with the Colts, for example, will see two of the best cornerbacks in football — Christian Gonzalez and Sauce Gardner — showcase their skills.
The big story leading up to the Eagles sessions obviously is wide receiver A.J. Brown meeting his former team again. Brown was traded from Philadelphia to New England this week, and after passing his physical on Tuesday took the practice fields for his first ever session with his new club.
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Subsequent to their joint sessions, the Patriots and Eagles will meet in both teams’ second preseason game on Aug. 22.
Traditionally, all three of the Patriots’ joint practices should be open to the general public. New England’s full training camp schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.
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