Patriots Injury Report: Haynesworth, Hernandez, Wright Return

The Patriots received a major boost at practice this afternoon, as injured defensive linemen Albert Haynesworth and Mike Wright both returned to practice, along with tight end Aaron Hernandez.

Hernandez, in his second year, caught 14 passes in the first two games of the year before going down with a knee injury.  He has missed the last two games against the Bills and the Raiders.  There's no question that the Patriots offense is a lot more dynamic with Hernandez is the line-up as he is simply a match-up nightmare.  If Hernandez is able to return against the Jets, it will be a real win for the Patriots.

The Patriots will also be happy to see both Albert Haynesworth and Mike Wright return to practice.  Wright played in the season opener, recorded half a sack, and then went down with a concussion.  The injury was especially scary considering Wright had missed the majority of the second half of 2010 with a head/neck injury.  Having Wright back can only improve the Patriots pass rush.

Having Albert Haynesworth back in action would also be a big boost for the Patriots, who have been without the mammoth defensive tackle the past two weeks.  Haynesworth got off to a bit of a sluggish start to this year due to some nagging injuries / health issues.  If he can finally get healthy, he could be a real force as we saw in the preseason.

Of course, all three of these players were listed as having "Limited" participation so there's no word whether or not they will suit up on Sunday against the Jets.  Either way, it looks like the Patriots could get all three of these guys back soon, which is great news for the team.