Gronkowski participated in practice Friday.
FOXBOROUGH – It may have just been for show, but whatever the intentions, Rob Gronkowski returned to practice for the New England Patriots Friday a little less than four weeks after suffering a broken forearm.
The tight end was present during the portion of practice open to media and participated in several jogs across the Gillette Stadium turf. Gronkowski did not take part in Wednesday’s walkthough or Thursday’s practice. It is not known if he will be available for Sunday’s clash with the 49ers.
Still, his teammates were happy to have him back on the field.
“It’s great to see,” Welker said. “Obviously he’s a great player for us and does a great job. Good to see him out there.”
Gronkowski was injured Nov. 18 against the Colts while blocking on the final point-after attempt of a 59-24 win. He has 53 receptions for 748 yards and 10 touchdowns.
New England has won each of its three games without him, while averaging 405 yards of offense and 38 points.
The Patriots (10-3) are in possession of the AFC’s No. 2 seed, ahead of Denver (10-3 – New England holds a head-to-head tiebreaker) and Baltimore (9-4).