Entering yesterday’s game against the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was listed as questionable to perform due to an ankle injury. Gronkowski did ultimately play and catch four passes for 44 yards before leaving the contest in the third quarter. Shortly afterwards, he exited for the locker room and the team announced that his ankle was the reason for his departure.
This certainly was a situation worth monitoring closely considering Gronkowski’s injury history, but the injury is not considered to be a serious one (according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter):
Patriots’ TE Rob Gronkowski’s ankle injury that prevented him from finishing Sunday’s game is not considered serious, per source. Gronkowski is expected to be questionable for Thursday night vs. Colts.
The 29-year old being questionable to play on Thursday against the visiting Indianapolis Colts is no surprise. Likewise, it would also not be a surprise to ultimately see the team sit its most potent offensive weapon player with long-term interests in mind: having Gronkowski aggravate his ankle injury would be the worst possible scenario, so New England sitting him with just a few days rest is a realistic scenario.
And while having Gronkowski inactive would be a blow to the team, the return of Julian Edelman and the upside of trade acquisition Josh Gordon should help soften the potential blow – especially with Sony Michel and James White having looked very good on Sunday versus the Dolphins.
[UPDATE 10/01, 1:42 p.m. ET] NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport added that Gronkowski is considered day-to-day.