Setting the stage for the Patriots’ joint practices with the New York Giants this week

The NFL’s Coronavirus rules prohibited teams to hold joint training camp practices last summer, but they are back on the menu in 2021.

Before welcoming the Giants to Gillette Stadium, the Patriots will hold two practices by themselves.

The two workouts this week will take place each day at 10 am, and certainly be similar in physicality than those in Philadelphia last week.

As opposed to the joint session with the Eagles, the Patriots-Giants practices will be open to the general public.

Following Tuesday’s practice, the Patriots will have to reduce their roster from 85 to 80 players — the second such cutdown deadline to come within the last week.

They also have the option to move players to season-ending injured reserve, change the status of players on the physically unable to perform and non-football injury lists from “active” to “reserve,” or to make a trade.

While the joint practices between the Patriots and Giants are taking place in Foxborough, the two teams will travel to New Jersey for their preseason matchup on Sunday.

While preseason has to be taken with a grain of salt given the circumstances — “the game plan is practice,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said ahead of last week’s practices in Philadelphia — the upcoming night’s contest can be seen as a dress rehearsal of sorts.

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