Rob Gronkowski doesn’t look right.
The usually dominant New England Patriots tight end has posted solid yet unspectacular numbers this season, making it fair to wonder whether health is an issue. Gronkowski missed the Patriots’ Week 7 game against the Chicago Bears and has missed practice this week ahead of New England’s Week 9 showdown with the Green Bay Packers at Gillette Stadium. He’s been listed on the injury report with both ankle and back injuries.
Now, injuries are nothing new for Gronkowski, who missed 24 regular-season games over the course of his eight-year career before the 2018 campaign due to various ailments. He’s had multiple surgeries on his back, forearm and ankle in addition to suffering other bumps and bruises. But with the 29-year-old failing to duplicate his typical production this season, there has to be at least some level of concern.
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport explained Friday on WEEI’s “Kirk and Callahan” that one of Gronkowski’s current ailments is of greater concern than the other.
“From what I understand, the ankle is more of an issue than the back,” Rapoport said, per WEEI.com. “Him being limited is more ankle-related than back-related. With that being said, we’ll see if he practices (Friday), but getting him off the field and trying to get this right is a good thing.
“It would be nice to win against the Packers, it’s an important game, but everything the Patriots do is about long-term. I think getting Gronk right and looking like himself is if not the No. 1 priority right now — very, very high on the list.”
Gronkowski, a four-time First-Team All-Pro, has 29 catches for 448 yards with only one touchdown in seven games this season. Former Patriots executive Michael Lombardi doubled down this week on his assessment that Gronkowski hasn’t looked like the same player of late, and perhaps injuries — the ankle injury, in particular — are to blame.
