The first two home games for the New England Patriots – at least – will be held without fans in the stands.
Gillette Stadium officials made the decision was made after a meeting with the Massachusetts Reopening Advisory Board, where it was determined that Gillette Stadium wouldn’t be allowed to host any fans through the end of September. That impacts New England’s Sept. 13 opener against Miami, and a Sept. 27 game against the Raiders.
Three MLS matches have also been cancelled.
The Patriots have previously hoped to operate the stadium at 20% capacity, but now that won’t happen until October at the earliest.
TRAINING CAMP: After focusing on the run in Day 1 of training camp, the Patriots let their quarterbacks air out the ball on Day 2. If anything, the team’s defense showed they were going to make it tough for the quarterbacks earn every throw.
After a strong start on Monday, Jarrett Stidham struggled at the beginning of practice, which saw the quarterback intercepted three times.
PLAYERS ADDED: The Patriots entered this week with five open roster spots. On Monday, they added three players, signing tight end Paul Butler, tight end Alex Ellis and guard Ben Braden. All three players were at the team’s first padded practice.
The two tight ends will join a relatively inexperienced group in Ryan Izzo, Devin Asiasi, Dalton Keene, Ben Burt and Rashod Berry. That makes Ellis one of the most experienced tight ends on the roster.
The 27-year-old spent last year with Philadelphia where he split time between the Eagles active roster and practice squad. He’s also spent time in Tennessee, Jacksonville, New Orleans and Kansas City. He has appeared in 11 career games. In 2016, he caught three passes for 11 yards with the Jaguars.
Butler, 27, spent most of 2018 and 2019 on the Raiders practice squad. He was elevated to their 53-man roster for one game, but didn’t play.
Braden has appeared in three NFL games with the New York Jets – two in 2018 and one last season. An undrafted free agent from Michigan, he spent the 2017 season on the Jets practice squad. He spent part of the 2019 season on the Green Bay Packers practice squad. The Jets released him on Aug. 3.
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