FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Those in attendance at the first practice of New England Patriots training camp on Thursday could have easily been confused when they looked on the field and saw a new offensive player wearing No. 43.
But as it turns out, it was a familiar face: special-teams captain Matthew Slater.
Normally No. 18, Slater pulled a switch to honor fellow special-teams standout Nate Ebner, who is currently with the U.S. Olympic rugby team.
"I have a lot of respect for that guy. I wanted to show him a little love today," a smiling Slater said after practice.