Heading into their Week 6 matchup with the Jets, the Patriots are the fourth-most injured team in the NFL, with more players leaving games every week. In their game against the Raiders last Sunday, they lost Will Campbell to a knee sprain and TreVeyon Henderson to a foot/ankle injury, even as multiple starters were out across the roster.
They have already placed almost 20 players on injured reserve, and the hope is they won't have to add more to that list anytime soon, especially going into their divisional game against the Jets this weekend.
Before then, Mike Vrabel revealed a few positive injury updates regarding some of the team's biggest stars, particularly wide receiver A.J. Brown and cornerback Christian Gonzalez, both of whom are set to return to practice this week.
Even better, the Patriots are opening Brown's return window on Wednesday, giving them 21 days to add him back to the 53-man roster after his stint on IR with a high ankle sprain.
There's been chatter about whether they'll suit him up for this week's game, since Mack Hollins was injured in Week 5. But the head coach didn't provide that kind of update, saying they would see how he feels this week.
He offereed a bit more clarity on a few other players, however.
Mike Vrabel shares a long list of updates on the Patriots' injured stars
Christian Gonzalez will return to practice this week, but probably not Carlton Davis
After leaving the game against the Jaguars in Week 3, Christian Gonzalez missed the matchups against the Bills and the Raiders with a shoulder injury, and there were rumors of a potential stint on IR.
Fortunately, that doesn't appear to be the case, as Vrabel shared that the cornerback will return to practice on Wednesday, which is a good sign for his status for this week's game.
The backup cornerbacks fared well in his absence, especially Carlton Davis against the Bills. But he, too, is dealing with an injury, and according to Vrabel, he likely won't practice this week as he continues to deal with a neck injury.
Marcus Bryant will finally practice after missing the first five games
He also provided an update on offensive lineman Marcus Bryant, who was injured during the preseason and is yet to play this year.
With the current offensive line dealing with multiple injuries, bringing back a swing tackle like Bryant would be a massive boost, and it looks like that could happen soon.
He's also set to practice on Wednesday afternoon, and it couldn't be happening at a better time, with Campbell potentially out and injuries piling up around the offense.
Will Campbell is seen in the locker room ahead of practice in cleats and shells
When asked about Campbell's status, Vrabel remained more mum than when discussing other injuries, which made the tackle's appearance in the locker room stand out to reporters.
He was seen wearing cleats and shells while players spoke at the podium, suggesting he may practice on Wednesday afternoon, despite tests showing he sprained the same knee he injured last year.
We'll provide updates on his status after practice.
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TreVeyon Henderson looks like he will miss some time
Similar to how he discussed Campbell, Vrabel didn't say much about the running back, and given their decision to re-sign Hassan Haskins to the practice squad, it's fair to assume Henderson is more likely to sit out the game vs. the Jets than play.
Even if he misses practice on Wednesday, he could still play this weekend. However, if he misses Thursday, too, then we'll likely see Haskins elevated by Saturday.
Regardless, as soon as updates are available this afternoon on his and his teammates' statuses, we'll update this page.
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