Both wide receiver Aaron Dobson and defensive lineman Dominique Easley continue to remain hopeful they’ll be cleared to practice any day, but the two most important Patriots on injured lists are in holding patterns.

Bill Belichick often discusses the day-by-day nature of rehabilitation work, and Dobson and Easley are in the thick of it, rebuilding strength to prevent re-injury upon their respective returns. As of yesterday, neither player had a scheduled date for their training camp debut, according to sources.

For Dobson, sources revealed a new detail about the March 10 surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left foot. The surgery actually required the insertion of a permanent screw to aid the healing process, which speaks to the magnitude of the procedure.

The initial timetable was estimated at 2-3 months, but that is now an overly optimistic projection. Dobson didn’t even begin running until July, and that progression ultimately leads to aggressive planting and cutting. The second-year wideout and potential starter has been conditioning off to the side of the first four training camp practices, but his change-of-direction work hasn’t been showcased much out in the open.

Because stress fractures come with a high re-injury risk before a completed healing process — the injury popped twice on him last season — the Patriots medical staff is making sure Dobson is able to handle the rigors of the job before allowing him on the field.

As for Easley, who practiced during the final day of minicamp in June, sources have said there hasn’t been a setback. Easley had surgery Oct. 25 to repair a torn ACL in his right knee, and he is also working to regain full strength as he sets his sights on the regular-season opener.

Dobson, cornerback Alfonzo Dennard, special teams captain Matthew Slater and wide receiver Jeremy Gallon remain on the physically unable to perform list. Easley, tackle Chris Martin and linebacker Deontae Skinner are on the non-football injury list. Players can be removed at any time prior to Week 1 of the regular season.

Defensive tackle Tommy Kelly, who came off the PUP list Saturday, has remained very limited in practice as he recovers from knee surgery. He hasn’t even taken part in all defensive walkthroughs outside of the regular practice periods, according to a source.

Stolen goods

The Patriots claimed running back Tyler Gaffney off waivers from the Panthers yesterday, a move reminiscent of the way they acquired tight end Jake Ballard from the Giants in 2012.

Gaffney, a sixth-round pick out of Stanford, suffered a season-ending knee injury Friday. The Panthers waived Gaffney with the hope he would clear and revert to injured reserve, which would have saved them a spot on the 90-man roster. It would now appear the Patriots will carry Gaffney on the roster until final roster cuts Aug. 30 when he can be placed on injured reserve without the waiver process.

The 5-foot-11, 220-pounder ran a 4.49-second 40-yard dash at the combine. He had 330 carries for 1,709 yards and 21 touchdowns last season for the Cardinal.

The Patriots made room by releasing linebacker Josh Hull, who was signed April 24 for special teams purposes. . . .

Wide receiver Greg Orton cleared waivers and has been placed on injured reserve. He tore his Achilles on Friday, according to a source.

Schedule update

After a day off yesterday, the Patriots return to Gillette Stadium today for the first of four consecutive days of practices. They’ll begin at 9:15 a.m. today, tomorrow and Thursday, and they’ll conduct their annual in-stadium practice for season-ticket holders and residents of Foxboro and South Walpole at 7 p.m. Friday.