Notebook: Alan Branch activated off PUP list

FOXBOROUGH —  The Patriots roster is slowly but surely getting closer to full strength as the preseason progresses, and a big name was added on that front during Monday's practice with the return of veteran Alan Branch. The 32-year-old was back on the field in the final public practice of training camp, which was a lighter affair as players wore helmets and shells.



Branch was placed on the PUP list by the Patriots at the beginning of training camp and remained there until today. (Dont'a Hightower is now the only Patriots player remaining on the PUP list.) Branch had been present at the team's recent practices, but had not participated in the action. It is still unclear whether Branch's presence on the PUP list was due to injury or conditioning issues.

"You can ask Bill that one," Branch said bluntly when asked why he started camp on PUP.

No matter what the reason was, Branch was happy to return to the field and take part in some live action for the first time all summer after pushing off retirement in the offseason.

“It’s important just for me to get out here as soon as I was able to get out here,” Branch declared. “It’s just the more practices you get under your belt, especially as a defensive tackle, the better, just because I can’t go into the grocery store and tell someone to lineup and push them in the face. A lot of the other spots, receiver, quarterback, you can practice catching and throwing, things of that nature. Defensive tackle is a different beast.”

With a joint practice looming in West Virginia over the next two days, the 6-foot-6 lineman is eager to get some reps in to make up for lost time. Monday's session wasn't very physical, but that should change against the Texans over the next couple days.

“You know, I miss being with the guys, the fellas and everything," Branch continued. "But I feel like I’m right along with them when it comes to film watching and knowing what I’m supposed to do. Hopefully, I’m not going to be too far behind physically as we go practice against Houston. Right now, I feel pretty great.

“This is my 11^th year, and one thing I do know in this life is football. Bill [Belichick] did a great job and [strength and conditioning coach] Moses [Cabrera] made sure I was ready to get out there and be safe practicing and playing in the game. I have a lot of trust in them, and trust in myself, too.”

Branch started the 2016 preseason on the non-football injury list as he failed early conditioning tests in the wake of a hip injury. He finished the year with 49 tackles and 1.5 sacks while anchoring the interior of the defensive line. He leads a new group this year that includes former Raven Lawrence Guy, and holdovers such as Malcolm Brown and Vincent Valentine.

After coming off one of the best seasons in his career, Branch put off retirement plans (he thought he'd be done after 10 years) to try to make a run at another title with New England.

“Just the guys. It’s the camaraderie, the competition level especially,” Branch said when asked about what drove him to come back. “I don’t think there’s too many other jobs out there where you can go against another person and just try to enforce your dominance on them and have the satisfaction feeling knowing that you defeated double teams against two players trying to stop you from getting to a place or getting back to the quarterback causing havoc.”

Malcolm Mitchell, Danny Amendola, James O'Shaughnessy back as full participants 

The Patriots' offense got a bit of a boost on Monday as well, with Mitchell, Amendola and O'Shaughnessy returning to the practice report in full. It was Mitchell's first full practice of training camp, and O'Shaughnessy had missed several practices last week while dealing with an injury. O'Shaughnessy made an impact early in the 11-on-11s with a couple of receptions, while Mitchell had the play of the day later in the session with a terrific catch on a deep ball while facing coverage from Stephon Gilmore and Devin McCourty. Danny Amendola may have had the best overall day of the bunch, pulling in catches from both Jacoby Brissett and Jimmy Garoppolo. 

Tough finish for offense in 11-on-11s

The defense had some issues during Thursday's preseason opener against the Jaguars, but it was a bright spot during the closing stages of practice Monday. The Patriots' quarterbacks combined to go 0-for-8 inside the red zone before eventually scoring on a run play. Here were the full quarterback numbers for the 11-on-11 sessions:

Tom Brady: 17-for-24
Jimmy Garoppolo: 7-for-14
Jacoby Brissett: 1-for-2

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Tuesday: Joint practice with Texans in West Virginia, 10 a.m. ET
Wednesday: Joint practice with Texans in West Virginia, 10 a.m. ET
Thursday: Travel day to Houston
Friday: Walkthrough
Saturday: Patriots at Texans, 8 p.m. ET