FOXBORO – The Patriots were a little less than four hours to game time on Thursday when Cody Kessler was on the field. He wasn’t alone, but the only other Patriots player present was rookie JoeJuan Williams, who was running sprints.

Kessler could be seen going through drill after drill – hours before he was about to be listed as inactive.

The 26-year-old was practicing with Patriots assistant quarterback coach Mick Lombardi. The third-string quarterback signed with the Patriots on Sept. 25 and has been inactive for the two games leading up to Thursday night’s game.

There was little chance Kessler would be active against the Giants, but that didn’t stop him from getting his work in. The four-year veteran has been trying to be a quick study in Foxboro. These pregame sessions are part of the equation.

“Just getting the footwork down, getting the reads down,” Kessler said on Tuesday. “Obviously, no one’s out there running routes, but it’s like, ‘Hey, speed your feet up on this.’ Launch point in the pocket, five-step, play-action stuff. Just stealing extra reps. And I’ve asked him, ‘Hey, can we do that every game or as many opportunities as I can?’

“And Mick’s been great with it. Mick’s been awesome helping me, going over the install, staying late. And Jarrett (Stidham), as well. Obviously, he’s helped me out. But Mick’s been great. He’s really taking the time to break everything down and slow it down so I fully get it.”

Kessler comes to the Patriots with 12 NFL starts in the past three seasons. The Pats choice to keep Kessler on the roster is interesting as the team rarely keeps three quarterbacks. However, it seems like Bill Belichick and his staff likes what they see.

Kessler has been helping the Patriots at practice, running scout team drills. He says he’s even been trying to help younger receivers by throwing to them on the side.

“Obviously, that’s something that’s important to me on the field, but off the field, (the important thing) is learning this offense and getting up to speed to where I feel comfortable going into a game,” Kessler said. “Obviously, it’s going to take a little bit of time, and I feel like from where I was when I got here to where I am now — just staying late and studying and everything — is far ahead of that.”