Patriots Notebook: Chung, White named captains for first time, but Gronkowski, Hightower miss out on honor

FOXBOROUGH -- The following players were named captains for the Patriots this season, according to a report from The Boston Globe: Patrick Chung and James White landed the honor for the first time in their careers, while Tom Brady, Devin McCourty, Matthew Slater, and David Andrews are the others.

Two interesting names not on the list were tight end Rob Gronkowski and linebacker Dont'a Hightower. Gronkowski and Hightower were captains in 2016 and 2017, but not this year. Duron Harmon, who was arrested trying to bring marijuana into Costa Rica this offseason, was also not elected captain after being one in '17.

There will be plenty of talk about the process of "electing" captains in New England, but some players in the past have suggested to me there's one vote that can override the others.

A few years ago, a former player relayed this story to me: When one of the captains for the new season was announced, an informal poll revealed that almost no one on the roster had voted for that player. So when it comes to this group, make of it what you will.

Pats have clean injury sheet, but Dawson likely out for Sunday


The Patriots had perfect attendance at their Thursday afternoon practice in the fieldhouse. Here's a look at the injury report:

--Cornerback Duke Dawson was officially listed as a DNP because of a hamstring. That would seem to rule him out for Sunday. Given the fact that New England appears to be rolling with an extra corner, Dawson’s absence shouldn’t have a sizable impact come Sunday.

(UPDATED: Dawson has been placed on injured reserve, and the team has signed wide receiver Riley McCarron from the practice squad. To take McCarron's spot on the practice squad, the team has added tight end Stephen Anderson. Anderson, 25, originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with Houston out of California on May 6, 2016. The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder has appeared in 28 regular-season games with five starts over two seasons with the Texans and totaled 36 receptions for 435 yards and two touchdowns. Anderson has also appeared as a reserve in two playoff contests. He was released by Houston on Sept. 1, 2018.)

--Tight end Jacob Hollister (hamstring) and running back Sony Michel (knee) were listed as limited. Michel is not a surprise, and given how much time he’s missed this summer, it would be a shock to see him out there on Sunday. Hollister is another matter — we’re not necessarily debating the seriousness of the injury. Its jus with New England thin at receiver, the Patriots could use as many pass catchers as possible.

--And linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley (illness), tackle Marcus Cannon (calf) and safety Nate Ebner (knee) were all listed as full participants.