Former Columbia High School standout Trey Flowers joined the New England Patriots last season as a fourth-round draft choice out of Arkansas. But injuries, which finally resulted in shoulder surgery and landed him on injured reserve on Dec. 1, limited the defensive end to one game in his rookie season.
In New England's first preseason game on Thursday, Flowers took a step toward playing more in 2016. Flowers made five tackles for New England's defense and one on special teams in the Patriots' 34-22 victory over the New Orleans Saints.
One of Flowers' tackles was a sack of New Orleans quarterback Luke McCown.