FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Linebacker Dont'a Hightower and defensive tackle Alan Branch, who were key players at the heart of the New England Patriots' defense in 2016, are opening training camp on the active/physically unable to perform list.
Hightower is coming back from an undisclosed physical ailment that kept him off the practice field in voluntary spring practices. A defensive captain who is one of the NFL's hardest-hitting players at his position, he was seen working on a different field with others who aren't yet fully cleared to practice.