FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Rookie right guard Tre' Jackson, who has worked with the first unit since the first day of New England Patriots training camp, was carted off the field midway through Monday's hot, humid practice.
Jackson was felled by heat-related cramps, according to a source.
He remained on the ground for several minutes as he was tended to by athletic trainers, one of whom pressed his hands into Jackson's right hip/abdomen area. At one point, the athletic trainers brought over some wet towels to the area where Jackson lay prone on the field, which were used to help cool him off.
As the athletic trainers helped Jackson eventually rise to his feet, Jackson required help standing. When Jackson ultimately was helped on to the cart, he put one hand on his back as he was in obvious discomfort.
In his absence, the Patriots inserted undrafted rookie David Andrews at right guard, next to third-year man Josh Kline at center. Starting center Bryan Stork remains out of practice.
While a player leaving on cart is often considered bad news, it's worth noting that receiver Brian Tyms returned within a week after leaving on a cart earlier in training camp.
Nonetheless, Jackson's status will be monitored closely in the coming days, potentially threatening his availability for joint practices against the Saints in West Virginia on Wednesday and Thursday, and perhaps beyond.
A few other observations from practice:
After practice, in a rare scene at camp, quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick chatted at the far end of the field for about 10 minutes.
Brady got the bulk of the practice work at quarterback.
Conditioning and situations were a big part of the session, which lasted a little more than two hours. At the end, Belichick had every player on the team running the hill at the far end of the fields.
The health outlook at the offensive tackle spot looks better for the team today, with starting left tackle Nate Solder returning to practice and top swing tackle Marcus Cannon also back. That had been an area of concern depth-wise over the last week-plus.
Cornerback Tarell Brown, who left Saturday's practice midway through with what he described as checking "on a few things" and "something we were dealing with earlier in the week," returned to practice. He had two interceptions as the offense worked on low-percentage throws into the end zone from about 20-25 yards out.
Rookies Trey Flowers (defensive end) and Darryl Roberts (cornerback), who both showed up with positive plays in the preseason opener, remain out of practice.
Running back LeGarrette Blount, in a change of pace, wore No. 74 instead of his usual 29.
Receivers Julian Edelman and Aaron Dobson, running back Travaris Cadet, offensive lineman Caylin Hauptmann and tight end Scott Chandler remain out of the full practice, but they worked out on the lower field.
Kicker Stephen Gostkowski displayed his powerful leg, nailing a 63-yard field goal.
Former Rutgers and Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano was present for the practice, watching for an extended stretch with assistant to the coaching staff Michael Lombardi.
Tight end Rob Gronkowski, Solder, Brown, receiver Brian Tyms and running back Jonas Gray were a few players drawing large media crowds.