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Report: Tom Brady To Play Friday At Carolina

BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots likely wouldn't have brought Tom Brady to Charlotte if he wasn't going to see the field. Just hours after it was reported that Brady made the flight with the team, CSNNE's Tom E. Curren reported that Brady is expected to play Friday night against the Carolina Panthers in the preseason "dress rehearsal" game.

Although head coach Bill Belichick has repeatedly stated that the team's priority is to get Jimmy Garoppolo ready to start Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals, it's hard to imagine Garoppolo starting over Brady. But the third preseason game is the team's best chance to get Garoppolo ready for real game action, as most of each team's first units are expected to play into the third quarter. It would behoove the Patriots to remove Brady relatively quickly and give Garoppolo as many reps as possible as the starting quarterback playing against the Panthers' first-stringers.

Brady made it clear in a press conference Tuesday that he feels it's his responsibility to be on the field for his team as much as possible. The 39-year-old future Hall-of-Famer doesn't necessarily need the reps like Garoppolo does and will most likely be without his top three receiving weapons in Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, and Danny Amendola, so tune into Friday night's game early if you don't want to miss Brady.

The Patriots and Panthers kick off at 7:30 p.m. EST. You can watch the game on WBZ-TV or listen live on 98.5 The Sports Hub. Here's what to watch for during the game.

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