Albert Haynesworth Returns to Patriots Practice: Was His Absence Intentional?

After a long absence from the practice field, DT Albert Haynesworth has been spotted in pads with the team. He returned to the field earlier today for practice just one day after pleading no contest to simple abuse charges in a Washington, D.C. court. Belichick had said throughout camp while we all wondered where Haynesworth was that he was “day-to-day,” and it appears that day has finally come. Is it a coincidence that it is the day after his trial? I don’t think so. It is possible that his day-to-day status was contingent on settling his legal matters and avoiding jail time.

Another thought that’s been bouncing around my head is that perhaps Bill Belichick didn’t want Haynesworth showing up on anybody’s practice or scouting report. Now that training camp is over, reporters are only able to view the first 20 minutes of practice, consisting mostly of stretching and special teams work. They can’t report on much of anything about team work, which would be where Haynesworth fits in. It wouldn’t shock me if we don’t see Haynesworth in the preseason either. Remember in 2007, we didn’t see much of Randy Moss at all, and then he and Tom Brady jumped out of the gate Week One like gangbusters. Could we see a repeat, only on the defensive side of the ball?

Other news coming from practice is that rookie Nate Solder missed his first practice since signing with the team. Recently, the Pats have tried Solder out at right guard. Recall that when tackle Nick Kaczur was tried out at guard, he ended up injuring his back. I hope we’re not seeing a repeat here. Solder seems a little tall and thin to play interior offensive line. One would think that he doesn’t have the body type, at least until he bulks up, to play guard. Hopefully, Solder’s absence is short-term and nothing serious.

Here’s a list of other players not spotted at practice, courtesy of ESPN Boston:

"RB Stevan RidleyCB Leigh BoddenRB Shane VereenLB/S Josh BarrettRB Kevin Faulk (active/PUP)CB Malcolm WilliamsRB Eric KettaniLB Jeff TarpinianLB Dane FletcherLB Brandon SpikesOL Marcus Cannon (active/NFI)OL Ryan WendellDT Brandon Deaderick (active/PUP)TE Lee SmithDE Jermaine CunninghamDT Ron Brace (active/PUP)DT Mike Wright"