Report: Tom Brady not expected to play in preseason opener in Detroit

The preseason opener rarely includes high-end players for very long, if at all.

According to the Boston Herald, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is not expected to play in Thursday night's exhibition game against the Lions in the Detroit.

Per source, don't expect Tom Brady to play in tomorrow's preseason opener against the Lions. Not a surprise. He got plenty of work the first two days of joint practices with Detroit. This is how it's gone in the past

The veteran quarterback has indeed already gotten plenty of joint-practice reps this week in Detroit against Matt Patricia's Lions defense.

Brady did not play in last year's preseason opener against the Redskins, either. In fact, the last time Brady actually played in the first preseason game was against the Packers in 2015.

With Brady on the sidelines in Detroit Thursday night, that means a heavy dose of veteran backup quarterback Brian Hoyer and a potentially long first look at fourth-round rookie Jarrett Stidham leading the New England offense.