Tight end Rob Gronkowski is the most important player on the New England Patriots’ offense not named Tom Brady. He is one of the best and most effective weapons in football and creates mismatches not only for himself but the rest of the Patriots’ arsenal as well.
Naturally, seeing a player of this caliber leave practice due to an apparent injury is worth keeping a close eye on. Yesterday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport announced that the injury was “minor” without naming further details about what actually forced Gronkowski to take himself out of a 7-on-7 drill during Monday’s joint practice session with the Chicago Bears and subsequently leave the practice fields.
Enter Jeff Howe, whose sources told him the following:
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski’s injury has been described as a bruise, according to a source. He'll be fine.
Naturally, the injury should not keep Gronkowski sidelined for too long. However, don’t be surprised to see the 27-year old sit out today’s final joint practice session and tomorrow’s preseason game agains the Bears. After all, the tight end is too valuable of a player to rush back – even if he suffered just a minor injury.