New England Patriots Minicamp: Rob Gronkowski, Dion Lewis Return

The New England Patriots finished up their last open practice to the media yesterday, and there was plenty of positives to take away from the session.

The top story had to be the return of Rob Gronkowski and Dion Lewis. Those two players are two of the most dynamic offensive weapons in the league, and having them back on the practice field is great news. I wasn’t worried at all about Gronkowski, but hearing that he is back on the practice field tells me that this minor ailment the Pats were being cautious about really was incredibly minor.

As for Lewis, his game is predicated on explosiveness and his quickness, and it takes time to get back to 100% in that department after an ACL injury. But since he returned to practice this early, he will have all of training camp to get ready, which is encouraging regarding how quickly he can get back to full strength in the regular season.

Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald:

"Gronkowski, Lewis and Mason practiced in front of the media for the first time. It was a relatively light workout, and Lewis briefly participated during the lone contested period of 11-on-11s. Gronk didn’t participate during that portion but later worked out during the half-speed 11-on-11s. Mason didn’t participate in team drills."

The return of Shaq Mason is also good news for the Pats, as that adds to what sets up to be a very intense battle along the interior of the offensive line. Tre’ Jackson, Josh Kline, Joe Thuney and Mason will be competing for the two starting guard jobs this summer. The Pats are very lucky to have four players competing for two jobs, as their depth on the inside is as good as anyone in the NFL.

Here are the players that were absent from practice: (Again from Jeff Howe)

"K Stephen Gostkowski, WR Julian Edelman (foot surgery), CB Logan Ryan, RB D.J. Foster (tweaked hamstring), RB LeGarrette Blount, S Duron Harmon, S Nate Ebner (approved rugby commitment), LS Joe Cardona (Navy commitment), G Tre’ Jackson (knee surgery), G Josh Kline (shoulder surgery), RT Sebastian Vollmer, LT Nate Solder, WR Danny Amendola (knee, ankle surgeries), DT Alan Branch"