Coming off a trip to the Super Bowl and another solid offseason, the Patriots didn't enter training camp with a ton of questions in terms of their potential starting lineup. That's not say the team isn't in need of talent or lacking in certain areas, however.

One spot that suffered a hit is blocking tight end after veteran free agent addition Julian Hill was lost for the season with a torn ACL suffered during OTAs in the spring. That leaves an opening for a fairly significant role in the offense, and thus far undrafted rookie Tanner Arkin appears to have the inside track to fill it.

The 6-4, 262-pound Arkin looks like a tackle at times at the end of the line, and that was how he was used during much of his career at Illinois. Now he's looking to carve out a niche in the NFL and prove his value.

"Football is a contact sport," Arkin said when asked about his physicality. "[Tight ends] Coach [Thomas] Brown likes to say the great equalizer in the NFL is speed and violence. I pride myself on being physical and I try to show that every day."

As Arkin tries to pick up life in the league he's leaned heavily on veteran Hunter Henry for advice. Henry, who is entering his 11^th year, explained how Hall of Famer Antonio Gates mentored him during their early days together in San Diego and how he's tried to return the favor.

"[Arkin] is doing a lot of good things," Henry said. "He's mixing in with the ones and the twos and doing whatever he needs to do to earn a role.

"It's very competitive in this league," he continued. "But we're all working together. That's life in the NFL. I had a lot of great mentors and I'm trying to be a good example and help as much as I can."

Meanwhile, Arkin is keeping his mind on the playbook and trying to learn as much as he can.

"It's kind of surreal here being at the pro level," Arkin admitted after practice. "The opportunities that I've gotten have been amazing and I'm just trying to take it day by day, soaking it all in and trying to get better."

Beyond the tight end depth, here are one man's observations from Day 7 of training camp.

-- Saturday offered the first signs of life when it comes to the players on pre-camp lists as Gabe Jacas was on the field in uniform for the first time after being activated off NFI. Jacas was limited and wore shells instead of full pads, but his presence alone was a positive sign.

"We've talked to you about the return to play protocol that we have, and so now he gets handed over to the coaches, and that'll be in a limited role," Vrabel said before practice. "He won't be involved in the team reps, but hopefully Monday, we'll see him back out there."

Jacas spent time working with special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer on punt protection/rush. At one point the rookie gave a jolt to outside linebackers coach Mike Smith, and as Vrabel explained he's clearly itching to get going.

"He texts me all the time. He texted me late at night, 'Hey, am I going to practice tomorrow?' Vrabel said. "I'm like, 'No, just like I told you at 6:30 last night or tonight that you're not going to practice tomorrow. You don't have to text me at 10 and ask again. The answer is still no, not yet.'

"You want that. You want guys that are looking for ways in as opposed to looking for ways out. I think he just wants to get out there, get acclimated and be with his teammates. That is all he wants to do. He just wants to play football."

-- The remainder of the lists were unchanged with Harold Landry and C.J. Dippre (left wrist) on PUP while Terrell Jennings and Brenden Schooler are still on NFI.

-- Carlton Davis was not spotted and missed his third straight practice with an apparent leg injury, but Christian Barmore was back in uniform after missing Friday's session for undisclosed reasons. Reggie Gilliam also was not spotted during practice.

-- There were a handful of veterans who took part in the practice on varying levels. Marcus Jones was in individual drills and 7-on-7s but did not take any full team reps. Christian Gonzalez was in for the first set of 11-on-11 plays before joining Jones running sprints on the other field. Morgan Moses took the opposite approach and skipped the individual work but was at right tackle for both sets of plays with the first group on offense in 11-on-11s. Rhamondre Stevenson and Alijah Vera-Tucker did not take part in any of the full team work. Vrabel explained before practice that with the team in pads for the third straight day it was important to monitor the players.

-- With the three starting corners either out or limited, it provided some opportunities for others. Kindle Vildor, Kobee Minor and Karon Prunty worked together during the second set of 11-on-11s, and the rookie Prunty was active. He had tight coverage on Kayshon Boutte on a back shoulder throw from Drake Maye but the wideout was able to make the grab. Later, Prunty was able to out-physical Cameron Dormer on a deep ball from Tommy DeVito and came up with the interception.

-- Mack Hollins was dressed in loose red sweatpants rather than his normal silver pants. Hollins always seems to have a fashion statement of some sort.

-- With Vera-Tucker out for the day, Ben Brown took his reps at left guard. It wasn't a great day for Brown as he struggled in 1-on-1s, getting beaten badly by Isaiah Iton for the second straight practice. He also had some difficulties picking up a stunt and failed to prevent Elijah Ponder from disrupting Maye on a pass that was eventually picked off by Dell Pettus.

-- The Patriots personnel department gathered together at the end of practice for a group picture.

-- The entire offense and defense met at 11:15 as the team prepared for the first 11-on-11 periods of the practice. The tempo seemed to be a tad slower than what we've seen in recent days, so it's possible the coaches wanted to deliver instructions as to what was expected.

-- Romeo Doubs and Kyle Williams enjoyed active days as pass catchers, and both also seemed to be dealing with some physical discomfort at times. Doubs limped to the sideline during the second set of 11-on-11 plays but was back on the field four plays later with what looked to be a fresh tape job on his left ankle. He continued to make plays, although he did fumble after a catch on the final rep. Williams saw some time with Maye and the first group and was open deep but Maye's pass was late and short, allowing Pettus to recover. He limped off later as well, but also returned and got some vice/gunner work with the punt group.

-- A couple of leftover nuggets from Friday's practice: Jam Miller showed good patience and vision during a couple of runs near the goal line late in the workout. The rookie running back was able to plow his way into the end zone to kick off a mini-celebration from the reserve offensive linemen that were part of the final group with third-string quarterback Behren Morton.

-- Also, the special teams period featured kickoff returns for the first time this summer. About a dozen players were involved in handling the kicks, some of which included Doubs, Williams, Miller, Efton Chism, DeMario Douglas and TreVeyon Henderson. Later in practice when Springer had a scout kickoff team working in the drill, the highlight was a solid thump by undrafted rookie wide receiver Kyle Dixon on returner Lan Larison.

-- Arkin, Henry, Morton, Prunty, Robert Spillane, Quintayvious Hutchins and Jeremiah Franklin were among those who spent time chatting with the media after practice.

-- The Patriots will enjoy an off day on Sunday before returning to practice Monday morning with the session set to run from 10:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Gates will open at 9:15 a.m. As always, please check Patriots.com for all the latest schedule changes during training camp.

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