Webster may be turning corner

Veteran close to making a return

FOXBOROUGH - The Patriots' depleted cornerback corps could be getting a reinforcement.

Coach Bill Belichick said yesterday that Jason Webster, who has not practiced since July 26 because of a hamstring injury, could be close to returning.

"He is day to day in terms of coming back," said Belichick. "He is getting a little better each day, and hopefully it won't be too much longer."

The Patriots practiced yesterday without Webster and fellow cornerbacks Jonathan Wilhite (hamstring), Mike Richardson, and Lewis Sanders.

Webster, who is entering his ninth season, signed a one-year, $819,000 deal in March after one season in Buffalo. Webster signed with the Bills as a free agent in 2007, but broke his forearm in the season opener, landing him on injured reserve.

Two seasons, two teams, two injuries for Webster. Not a good impression.

"This one is different. It's a muscle, not a broken bone," said Vann McElroy, Webster's agent. "He's very frustrated, of course. He wants to be out there right now. He wanted to be out there last week. He is a very conscientious and driven player. The Patriots have been great about it. You have to be careful with that injury."

Webster has missed a lot of critical practice and evaluation time, but he does have the advantage of having gone through spring camps with the team.

"We had a good opportunity to work with him there at a couple of different spots," said Belichick. "Of course, it would be good to have him and every other player back on the field. I am sure he is working hard to get back, and when he is ready he will be back out there. Hopefully, that will be soon.

"It is unfortunate with the time that he is missing. We have worked with him some, but with him out that provides opportunities for other players. We will evaluate them. We just have to do the best that we can with the information that we have. It is not perfect, but that is all there is."

Class acts

Defensive coordinator Dean Pees spoke publicly yesterday for the first time during camp.

Pees said he's been impressed with the studiousness of the rookies, led by first-round pick Jerod Mayo at inside linebacker and including cornerbacks Terrence Wheatley and Wilhite and outside linebacker Shawn Crable.

"One of the things I like most about this rookie class is that they're very attention-to-detail," said Pees. "I'm not saying that they come out and we practice and we do it exactly like we want to do it, but you can tell in the classroom if somebody is kind of half paying attention or they're really into it. And these guys, to their credit - 23 practices in, it starts getting a little old listening to me - they're very attentive. They're very good in the classroom."

Back for more

Quarterback Matt Gutierrez, who suffered a bruise in the exhibition opener Aug. 7 against Baltimore, returned to practice after sitting out the last three days.

"I feel good out here. I'm happy to be back," said Gutierrez.

Gutierrez cited team policy in not answering a question about whether he would be able to play in the second exhibition game, Sunday night in Tampa.

The second-year signal-caller did show a bit of rust when he tossed back-to-back interceptions during practice. The first was a phenomenal one-handed pickoff by linebacker Eric Alexander. The second interception belonged to Wheatley.

No longer seeing red

For the second straight day, the quarterbacks were not in red jerseys, which signify no contact. They donned the same white jerseys as the rest of the offense. However, that didn't mean it was open season on the QBs.

"You just don't want people falling into the quarterback when they are throwing, which is a pretty unprotected position for them," said Belichick. "I think the red jersey is easier for everybody to identify, but now . . . I think we have enough experience to know where everybody is, what the tempo is, when to pull off and those types of things, not just for the quarterbacks but in a lot of areas like playing the ball or potential collisions. We try to save those for the game and not blow each other up in practice."

One for one

The Patriots released wide receiver Chris Dunlap and signed offensive lineman Stephen Sene, an undrafted free agent out of Liberty University. The 6-foot-6-inch, 310-pound tackle was originally signed by St. Louis. His claim to fame - or infamy - is that he was released by the Rams on the practice field July 28. The Rams let Sene go on the spot when they found out their wavier claim on another player had been successful . . . Safety James Sanders, who returned to practice Tuesday after an extended absence, spoke for the first time publicly about being back on the field with his teammates. "It's good, trying to get back into the flow of things, getting into a rhythm with my teammates, communicating out there, getting on the same page, and just executing Patriots defense like we're supposed to do," he said . . . Among the players missing practice were safety Rodney Harrison, linebacker Adalius Thomas, defensive lineman Mike Wright, wide receivers Sam Aiken and Kelley Washington, running back LaMont Jordan, and offensive linemen Matt Light, Russ Hochstein, and Ryan O'Callaghan . . . Today is the final day of camp practices being open to the public (weather permitting). Today's workout begins at noon.

Mike Reiss of the Globe staff contributed to this report