FOXBOROUGH — The lack of a No. 11 jersey skittering across the field would have been clue enough. But the clearest signs Julian Edelman missed the Patriots’ first training camp practice Thursday were not visual.

It was a feeling, said second-year cornerback J.C. Jackson.

“You know Julian brings a whole lot of enthusiasm. He’s a different kind of guy. The fans love him. You know the difference when he’s not out there. You feel the energy, the hype. Everybody knows.”

No, actually, it was a quietness, contended fellow corner Jonathan Jones.

“Not as much noise."

Or perhaps it was a tweaked, team-wide attitude, suggested safety Duron Harmon.

“What he brings to the field each and every day. That grit that he has. Obviously we know Julian is a grinder. He wasn’t given anything. ... Just last year he was the Super Bowl MVP. He worked for that, and we know that.

“So that’s what you’re missing.”

During a practice where New England prioritized passing and special teams, Edelman’s absence could not possibly have been felt more. Throngs of fans supplied extra energy from the stands, pouring out all their excitement built up over months without football. Tom Brady, as he has for a decade and a half, received the loudest cheers.

No fan, however, could catch passes for Brady like Edelman can. Not even the receiver’s replacements.

Late in practice, Jackson knocked down a Brady throw intended for free-agent addition Maurice Harris, who was finishing one of Edelman’s best routes: the herky-jerky “whip" route.

“[Harris] tried to come inside and push back out," Jackson explained, "but I was looking at the quarterback and just dove and had a breakup.”

Perhaps Edelman makes that catch if he’s helathy. Maybe Jackson makes the play anyways.

What’s clear is until Edelman’s broken thumb heals in approximately three weeks, it will be up to receivers like Harris, Braxton Berrios, Phillip Dorsett and others to fill his shoes offensively. Edelman assigned his role as position leader to Dorsett. Berrios and Harris will split his snaps in the slot.

In the return game, that same group will take turns corralling punts in Edelman’s place.

Through one one practice, the Pats’ ragtag collection of receivers has proven giving Edelman-like effort won’t be an issue. Defensive backs dominated Thursday’s session, then turned around and told reporters they were nonetheless impressed by their teammates’ attempts.

“The guys who are out there, they’re competing, they’re fighting hard in his absence," Jones said. "They’re getting in a lot of good work.”

Added Stephon Gilmore: “They’re getting better. It’s the first day. We’re just trying to compete and make them earn everything.”

Then as practice dragged closer to its sweaty, tired end Thursday, and the incompletions piled up, Edelman strolled up from a separate field where he’d been working out and watched the final few periods. He stood back in a wide stance with his arms crossed. He surveyed a series of 11-on-11 plays like a coach might. For the next few weeks, this is his role.

Edelman the player nonetheless peeked through. He grew a little louder, talking both with and at his teammates; a preview of what’s to come and in the meantime a sense of normalcy restored during a new season where an old face sits strapped to the sidelines.

“He’s still there giving us all the information that we need,” Berrios said after practice with a smile. “Julian’s being Julian.”