Only two players not spotted during Patriots’ Wednesday practice

The New England Patriots were back on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium on Wednesday to start their on-field preparation for the upcoming AFC East matchups against the Buffalo Bills. While no injury report will be released today given that the two rivals will play on Monday night — the first such report will therefore come out on Thursday — the pool report from Wednesday’s session was an encouraging one.

Just two players were not spotted by the reporters on sight: cornerback Stephon Gilmore and defensive tackle Carl Davis.

Gilmore’s absence did not come as a surprise. The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year left Sunday’s game versus the Miami Dolphins due to an injury that was later reported to be a partially torn quad. The Patriots’ number one cornerback had to undergo surgery and will therefore not be able to participate in the team’s final two games against the Bills and the New York Jets. That said, there is optimism he could be back for offseason workouts.

As for Davis, he was designated to return from injured reserve last week — opening the 21-day window for New England to add him to its active roster again. Such a move has not yet happened, and Wednesday’s absence might be an indication that he is still not ready to fully return to action just yet.

Bill Belichick gave little information on Davis’ current status when asked about it during a media conference call on Tuesday.

“Once the clock starts, they have a three-week window. So, when that expires, then it will have expired. Until then, it will keep running,” the Patriots’ head coach noted.

Meanwhile, the rest of New England’s roster and practice squad was present at full on Wednesday. That includes four other players who suffered injuries during the game in Miami: center David Andrews (calf) as well as linebackers Ja’Whaun Bentley (arm), Chase Winovich (abdomen/chest) and John Simon (hamstring).