FOXBORO -- The Patriots practiced on Wednesday afternoon on the fields behind Gillette Stadium, but they did so without a handful of their regulars.
Rob Gronkowski, Sony Michel, Marcus Cannon, Eric Rowe and Deatrich Wise were all among the missing for the team's first on-the-field workout of the week.
None of those absences are necessarily a surprise. Gronkowski missed Sunday's game against the Bears with back and ankle issues. Michel left the game early with a knee injury and is, according to ESPN, "week to week." Cannon is still in the team's concussion protocol and missed the Bears game as well.
According to Jim McBride of the Globe, the absences of Gronk and Michel may not be long-term. In fact, Gronkowski may be able to play Monday night in Buffalo:
Rowe, meanwhile, suffered a groin injury that took him out of the Bears game. And Wise went into Week 7 with knee and ankle issues that made him a game-time decision in Chicago. He played 10 snaps and had one sack.
Gronkowski and Michel's injuries headline the group because of what that means for their respective position groups. Dwayne Allen was the only active tight end on the Patriots game-day roster in Chicago. Michel's injury means there are just two healthy backs on the Patriots roster: James White and Kenjon Barner.
New England Patriots
Cannon's injury is noteworthy as well because if he can't play Monday night in Buffalo, that would thrust LaAdrian Waddle back into a starting role against one of the best players for the Bills, Jerry Hughes, who primarily aligns across from right tackles.
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