Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Gronk always needed to have his plate replaced, so the worries about a fourth surgery mean nothing. In fact, the fourth surgery was merely a necessity in making sure Gronkowski’s arm remains strong going forward. I wonder if the Patriots will ease up on his blocking duties early on in the season, and, at this point in time, I highly doubt Gronk misses the start of the season.

At this point in time, I am considerably less worried about Gronkowski’s status due to the clearance of the infection and the successful surgery. He’s not completely in the clear yet and will likely need surgery on his back to resolve chronic pain there, but, by and large, Gronk is looking better. The fears of the contract going down the drain are a bit too pronounced, and now is not the time to be a debbie downer. Cautious pessimism is never a bad thing, but there’s no sense in getting all upset over Gronk’s status. Let’s hope things continue to go well for Gronk, and the recovery period for his arm is ten weeks. As for his back if surgery is done on it, Gronkowski’s time table for a return would be within the time table of return for his arm.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

According to a source close to the USA Today’s Mike Garafolo, the Patriots star TE could require surgery on his back after recently undergoing an MRI to check on a disc in his back. Gronkowski reportedly dealt with back issues there pertaining to that disc last season, and this is definitely a situation to monitor closely.

It just seems like Rob Gronkowski can’t catch a freaking break these days, and I feel absolutely awful for the guy. Honestly, I don’t want to think about the long-term effects of all the arm surgeries and the potential back issues, because it’s enough to make anyone’s head spin. Hopefully, this back surgery ends up being a one-and-done minor issue, while the new plate strengthens his arm to the point where we won’t hear about it again. Yeah, that might be a lot to hope for.

I would recommend reading the entire article by Garafolo linked above, because he goes into more detail regarding the information his source on the matter gave him. Let’s see if Gronkowski can avoid surgery this time, and the source noted that the disc is different from the one that Gronk underwent surgery on in 2009.

Update: A source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the surgery would be minor, and the source added that Gronkowski’s recovery from a potential back surgery would fall in line with the recovery from the arm surgery. Another source told Schefter that Gronkowskis will be “fine long term”, so my mind is definitely more at ease thanks to Schefter.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

According to Pro Football Talk, the Patriots team doctors are confident that Rob Gronkowski’s infection is gone and that Gronk has avoided a fifth surgery. If Gronk needed to undergo the knife a fifth time due to the continued presence of the infection, then he would not have been able to start the season in time. Gronkowski pretty much always needed to have a fourth surgery, so it’s great to hear that the doctors believe that Gronkowski won’t need that.

PFT also reports that the famed Dr. James Andrews will be consulting Gronkowski’s surgery next week, and it sounds like things are going smoothly on that front. There is reason to be optimistic, but I don’t think I need to remind you that there is reason to be extremely cautious and, when thinking long-term, a bit pessimistic. Gronkowski is expected to be back by training camp, because it truly does sound like a fourth surgery is the final step for the Pats star TE. Things could change with the slightest setback, but this is a very encouraging report from PFT.

By the way, I would recommend reading the comments section of that PFT post; filled with great comments from fans being classy about Gronk’s injury. Seriously, the non-Pats fans are backing him up, and PFT is an example of how the anti-Pats trolls are actually not held in favor by the general NFL public.

Leave your thoughts below in the comments section on Rob Gronkowski’s injury and the report from PFT’s Mike Florio.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.