FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Apparently trash pickup has moved to Sundays.
Linebacker Dont’a Hightower self-identified as a “trash man” in the Patriots defense during a Wednesday press conference. The 31-year-old said he doesn’t care about racking up personal stats. He’s happy to do whatever dirty job Coach Bill Belichick asks of him.
“I’ve never been a numbers guy,” Hightower said. “I’m going to do whatever I need to do for the team. Whether it’s knocking the (expletive) out of linemen, if I’m supposed (to get) eight or 10 tackles, or have eight sacks, then that’s what I plan on doing. But I’m just going to do my job.
“I’m a trash man. I just play football. Not a big numbers guy and never have been. … Just doing the hard stuff, bro. I never have been a big newspaper dude or whatever. I just want to do my job and win.”
When told of Hightower’s self-proclaimed occupation, Matt Judon chuckled.
“If he calls himself that, he calls himself that,” Judon said. “But I think High is a real good player and he does do a lot of dirty jobs for us. He makes it look good. … if he wants to be the junk man, he’s the junk man.”
In Houston, Hightower delivered one of his strongest performances of the season, according to linebackers coach Jerod Mayo.
“Hightower had a great game. Not only, if you were to look at the stat sheet it doesn’t really pop off the stat sheet like, ‘Wow, this guy had a great game.’ But if you were to watch the film and see his overall physicality I would say it was by far his best game,” Mayo said. “Honestly, now it’s all about stacking it together, right? Stacking these games together. High is definitely one of our smartest guys, not only on defense but on this football team. Now it’s just all about, ‘All right how do we keep this guy going on a down-after-down basis and play at that high level?’”
KICKER NICK FOLK was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week on Wednesday for his performance during the team’s 25-22 win at Houston.
Folk hit four field goals last Sunday, including a 21-yard game-winner with 17 seconds left. Folk also made two kicks from 52 yards and a 32-yarder as the Patriots overcame a 13-point deficit midway through the third quarter to beat Houston.
Folk, 36, who has also been dealing with a left knee injury, has ranked among the NFL’s best kickers all season, making 14 of 15 field goals. His only miss was a 56-yarder against the Buccaneers that struck the left upright in a driving rain. He’s gone 6 of 8 on extra points.
SEAN DAVIS SIGNED: The Patriots signed safety Sean Davis, a former Steelers second-round pick, to their practice squad Wednesday, according to the NFL Network.
After four years in Pittsburgh, Davis signed with the Colts last spring as a free agent, then got cut after their season opener. The Bengals added Davis to their practice squad days later, and he appeared in two games before again being released. Davis entered the league as a second-round pick out of Maryland in 2016 and started 42 of 68 possible games in Pittsburgh.
He worked out for the Patriots on Tuesday.
For his career, Davis has recorded 259 tackles, five interceptions and one forced fumble, all with the Steelers. He joins Elijah Benton, D’Angelo Ross and Myles Bryant as available defensive backs on the Pats’ practice squad. Bryant has been elevated to the active roster each of the past two games.
PRACTICE REPORT: Running back Damien Harris and right guard Shaq Mason returned to practice Wednesday.
Harris was spotted running on a separate field from his teammates after an initial stretching period. He left last weekend’s win at Houston with a ribs injury. It’s expected Harris will be listed as either limited or a non-participant on the team’s first practice report Wednesday.
Mason practiced for the first time in more than a week, after being sidelined with an abdomen injury.
Starting left tackle Isaiah Wynn and left guard Mike Onwenu missed their fourth straight practices, respectively, on COVID-19 reserve. Rookie cornerback Shaun Wade (concussion) was absent again.
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