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FOXBORO - Kyle Brady would like to have the chance to re-introduce himself to the rest of the Patriots' offense Thursday night at Gillette Stadium.

Brady, the veteran tight end signed as the blocking replacement for the departed Daniel Graham, has missed much of training camp with an undisclosed injury. But he has been practicing this week and, unless his "veterans' privilege" protection extends to Thursday as well, he should see some snaps in the preseason finale against the New York Giants (7:30 p.m.; Ch. 5, 64).

"We need a chance to get used to each other," Brady said Tuesday. "At certain times of the game, where we're lining up with each other as tight ends, we need to be on the same page as far as understanding one another, and the calls and things like that. So it's very good to be out there together."

Brady, entering his 13th NFL season, took some ribbing from teammates and coaches alike when he made it back to the practice field after his long absence.

"I got a little of that the cobwebs were falling out everywhere, the rust coming off," he said. "Especially with an older guy, you get a little more of that. It's all in a day's work." Apparently, the day's work was a breeze for Brady, who said he felt no ill effects from his return to practice. The Patriots are characteristically cautious with their injured players in training camp, not sending them back into the fray unless they are fully healed from what ailed them.

The 6-foot-6, 280-pound former Jet and Jaguar said he did his best from the day he joined the Patriots as a free agent (March 3) to make sure he got up to speed with the offense, and he was determined to stay mentally sharp during his physical inactivity.

"Fortunately, I was able to be here throughout the offseason program and participate in all of the drills and camps and things like that," he said. "That enabled me mentally to get on board and on the right page with what was going on.

"It was just a matter this summer of missing some of the actual physical repetitions," he added, "but the key there is to stay involved, stay attentive mentally and on top of what's going on with what's being put in, and then when you're out there, just to reacclimate yourself with the physical strain."

Painless cut

When is a cut not a cut?

The Patriots came close to answering that question Tuesday when they released only one player to reach the 75-player limit which went into effect at 4 p.m.

Released was rookie offensive lineman Chris Patrick of Nebraska, who was signed last week following his release by the New York Giants. The rest of the moves were roster juggling from one list to another.

The most permanent of the lot was rookie Mike Richardson's move to the injured reserve list with a hand injury, shelving the former Notre Dame cornerback for the season.

Three players went to the regular-season physically-unable-to-perform list, wide receivers Troy Brown and Chad Jackson and cornerback Eddie Jackson. They are now shelved for a maximum of eight weeks into the regular season, although they can be removed at any time up to that point. The move to the reserve-PUP list was anticipated for the two Jacksons, but Brown is a little more of a surprise after having been spied running wind sprints at Gillette Stadium before the Tennessee preseason game.

The signing of "franchise player" Asante Samuel actually gives the Patriots 76 players, but he's covered by a temporary roster exemption until the team determines that Samuel is ready to assume a full practice load.