The NFL’s offseason program is winding down. But before all players depart for a brief summer vacation, things will heat up.

For three days this week, the Patriots will hold their mandatory minicamp. From Tuesday through Thursday, the team will partake in practices that are very similar to OTAs. The big difference is that Tom Brady, who sat out the optional OTAs, will take part in the workouts.

Minicamp will also mark the first time Brady will be on the field in [...]

The NFL’s offseason program is winding down. But before all players depart for a brief summer vacation, things will heat up.

For three days this week, the Patriots will hold their mandatory minicamp. From Tuesday through Thursday, the team will partake in practices that are very similar to OTAs. The big difference is that Tom Brady, who sat out the optional OTAs, will take part in the workouts.

Minicamp will also mark the first time Brady will be on the field in 2019 without Rob Gronkowski, who retired and says he plans to stay retired.

Last weekend, Gronk made an appearance at Gillette Stadium for the One Mission Buzz Off for Kids charity event. When asked about a rumored comeback, he said he plans on staying retired.

“You can put (rumors) to rest,” Gronk told reporters. "I'm feeling good, [I'm in] a good place."

During minicamp, teams typically run a lot of passing drills. The 11-on-11 drills are usually the most noteworthy. This week, Brady will have a chance to hook up with several newcomers. The quarterback invited rookie receiver N’Keal Harry to work out with him and Julian Edelman last month. Will that offseason throwing session lead to a better on-field connection?

The Patriots hope so.

We won’t know how well the Patriots offense will function without Gronk until the regular season starts. This week, however, we'll get to see how Brady connects with his new targets. That means receivers Harry, Dontrelle Inman and Maurice Harris and tight ends Matt LaCosse, Ben Watson and Austin Seferian-Jenkins.

The Patriots have already held five spring practices — one was open to the media two weeks ago. The media will be present for all three days of practice this week and Brady will be the focus. But he won't be the only player the media is interested in.

Michael Bennett, the Patriots prized offseason acquisition, will also be present. Since the defensive end spends his offseason in Hawaii, he doesn’t attend OTAs. Due to offseason rules, players won't be in pads and there won't be contact or tackling. Therefore, we really won’t have a great idea of what Bennett brings to the table until training camp.

The offense won’t be the only focus. These practices are referred to as “passing camp,” but that also puts the secondary under scrutiny.

Last year, undrafted rookie J.C. Jackson raised eyebrows when he played with the starting defense during minicamp. He went on to play as the Patriots No. 2 cornerback down the stretch last season. It will be interesting to see if any rookie steps up this week and makes an impression.

There should be plenty of competition at the cornerback position. We know what veterans Stephon Gilmore, Jason McCourty and Jonathan Jones bring to the table. But also competing for a roster spot will be Jackson, JoeJuan Williams, Duke Dawson and Keion Crossen.

Along with monitoring skill-position players, quarterbacks and the secondary, there will also be a chance to check in on the health of certain players. Among the players not at OTAs two weeks ago were Patrick Chung, Sony Michel, Nate Ebner, Kyle Van Noy, Yodny Cajuste, Nick Brossette, Isaiah Wynn, Demaryius Thomas, Ryan Allen, Joe Cardona and Deatrich Wise.