The New England Patriots are hoping to get tight end Robb Gronkowski back at some point this season, but it is looking unlikely that it will be in Week 8 against the New York Jets, as reports have come out that the star is still not cleared to play heading into the halfway mark of the season.
According to ESPN.com, Gronkowski's agent Drew Rosenhaus spoke about the situation regarding the tight end, saying that he has not been cleared yet to play by Dr. James Andrews, who is consulting with Gronk as he tries to make a comeback. The Patriots placed him on the active roster during the early stages of the season and now it appears they could have left him on the PUP list and the outcome would have been the same since he is still not yet on the field.
Gronkowski is coming off multiple surgeries to his arm as well as procedure on his back and the Patriots have been cautious with him this season, but now it appears to be getting a bit controversial, as some players have complained that they think it's wrong that Gronk can participate in practice but has not been able to get on the field. The Patriots are 5-1, so they haven't suffered immensely, but their offense has not been as explosive and their third down and red zone percentages are not as good as when Gronkowski was healthy and playing with Tom Brady.
The team has said that Gronk is day to day and his status for games is evaluated from week to week and Rosenhaus said that Dr. Andrews had not cleared Gronk to play yet this season. The tension from players was reported by ESPN.com and some said they wondered why he could go hard and get tackled in practice but he can't do it on Sunday's. Gronkowski did not play last week in the dramatic comeback win against the Saints and now it appears that he will not be playing in week 8 against the Jets on the road, especially since he has not been cleared yet to play again.
Gronkowski still put up great stats last season with 55 catches and 11 touchdowns despite missing time with injuries and the 24-year-old has had to deal with plenty of speculation about when he will return. The Patriots have not gotten much from the position while dealing with the arrest of Aaron Hernandez as well and after Zach Sudfeld was released, the team has been using Michael Hoomanawanui as a replacement, with a talent drop-off that is immense.
The team is ranked 19th in passing yards per game this season and having Gronk back would give Brady a legit red zone and third down threat and it would open up the offense much more with Wes Welker gone and Danny Amendola dealing with multiple injuries. The offense is also without Shane Vereen this season for a while and that has hurt the third down unit as well. Kyle Rudolph, Scott Chandler and Joseph Fauria are solid backup options for Gronk and owners are hoping he will be back soon.