Linebacker Dont'a Hightower is looking to put last year's season-ending torn pectoral muscle behind him. Hightower's participation in organized team activities has been another step in that direction.

Glen Farley The Enterprise @GFarley_ent

FOXBORO – He underwent something of a career change last year.

During the course of his sixth season with the Patriots, linebacker Dont’a Hightower was transformed from an NFL linebacker to a film critic.

“I watched a lot of film of myself,” Hightower said following Thursday’s organized team activity on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium. “I (saw) a lot of things that I need to work on.”

It was the third quarter of the Patriots’ game with Atlanta last Oct. 22, his team well on its way to a 23-7 victory in its Super Bowl LI rematch with the Falcons, when Hightower’s season came to an end, the victim of a torn pectoral muscle.

“It just goes to show you’re one play away from missing,” Hightower reflected Thursday. “You know, you’re used to missing a couple games and being able to fight through it, but this (past) year I wasn’t able to do that. So, I’m trying to take every measure I can to prevent that from happening again.

Lacking Hightower, who has the ability to play inside or move to the edge as a pass rusher, the Patriots’ defense suffered.

Aside from the 41 points they surrendered in their eight-point loss to Philadelphia in Super Bowl LII, there were the facts that the defense ranked 30th against the pass, 29th overall and 20th versus the run during the regular season.

Absent from the first OTA session that was open to the media on May 22, photos posted on the team’s website showed the Patriots’ former first-round draft pick and 2016 Pro Bowl selection on the practice field just two days later.

On Thursday, Hightower went through the session conducted in front of the media.

“It feels good,” he said when it was over. “It’s been a while. It feels good to get my feet wet, get my feet back under me. It feels good to be out there with my teammates, new and old. (I’m) just ready to keep moving forward and getting better.”

Hightower, who owns two Super Bowl rings, admitted the team’s most recent outing, their loss to the Eagles in Minneapolis, was “absolutely” difficult to watch.

“You know, to say me playing in the game, that would have changed a big (outcome) of the game, that’s definitely not what I’m saying. Philly is a damn good team and they went out and they proved that,” said Hightower. “But, man, it did (hurt to watch), but there’s not much I can do about that now. All I can do is just (keep) concentrating on doing what I can do and just trying to stay healthy.”