Will Rob Gronkowski play in Super Bowl 52?
Gronkowski hasn’t been cleared to return from a concussion, but he’s making progress.
Rob Gronkowski has been in the NFL’s concussion protocol ever since the Patriots booked yet another trip to the Super Bowl. But according to Gronkowski, he’s “ready to roll” for Super Bowl 52 against the Eagles.
Gronkowski left the Patriots’ AFC Championship win over the Jaguars after suffering a concussion in the second quarter. Bill Belichick confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that Gronkowski was limited in practice, but he remains in the concussion protocol, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
On Tuesday, Gronk also told ESPN’s Josina Anderson that he’ll play on Sunday.
Gronk's response when asked if he'll play in the Super Bowl: pic.twitter.com/MpZlGaqY7V
— ESPN (@espn) January 31, 2018
Gronkowski also provided his own injury update via Instagram on Monday.
What happened to Gronkowski? Gronkowski was concussed when Jaguars safety Barry Church landed a jarring hit to Gronkowski’s helmet during the Patriots’ 24-20 comeback win over the Jaguars. Church was flagged for unnecessary roughness and fined $24,309 for the hit.
What’s the latest from Super Bowl practice? The Patriots held Gronkowski out of practice for the entire bye week between the conference championship and the postseason. But Gronkowski participated in some of the Patriots’ football-specific drills on Saturday.
He caught a few uncontested passes in the portion of practice the Patriots allowed media to watch, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss. That suggests he’s close to being cleared for full participation. The Patriots will release the first injury report of Super Bowl week on Wednesday, and Gronkowski’s status will be a solid indication of how he’s progressing.
What are people saying about Gronk’s status? While Gronkowski is off limits to the media, his teammates are fielding plenty of questions about whether or not the tight end will play against the Eagles on Sunday.
“It’s always great to have him out there,” Tom Brady said after Saturday’s practice, via Reiss. “He’s a great player, great person, great teammate and a big part of what we do. So it obviously hurts when he’s not out there for a lot of reasons, but he’s doing the best he can do, and we’re all hopeful.”
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said Tuesday that the Patriots are “optimistic” Gronkowski will be able to play against the Eagles.
What does this mean for the Patriots? If Gronkowski isn’t able to go on Sunday, it will be a blow to an offense that’s already missing Julian Edelman, who tore his ACL during the preseason.
Eagles defensive end Chris Long, who played for the Patriots in 2016, knows the difference it will make for New England to have Gronk on the field.
“He’s an awesome player and somebody who you have to be ready to play,” Long said. “He’s so unique. In my opinion, I’m not an expert historian, but you’d have to really sell me on there being a better tight end that ever played.”
Gronkowski is the Patriots’ leading receiver this season with 69 catches for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns in the regular season.