FOXBORO, Mass. — Some notes and observations from Wednesday’s New England Patriots practice:
— Every member of the Patriots’ 53-man roster was present during the brief portion of practice that was open to reporters.
— Offensive tackle Justin Herron was back at practice, starting the 21-day clock on his return from injured reserve.
Wide receiver Julian Edelman, who also is eligible to come off IR after sitting out the last three games, remained absent.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Wednesday morning Edelman has not experienced any setbacks in his recovery from a knee procedure and has “progressed in a positive direction.”
“(We’ll) work towards that goal but not start it until we’re sure the player is ready to start,” Belichick said in a video conference. “So we’ll warm them up inside, see how they feel and put them through the part of their rehab and just see where they are, where we think they are, where they feel they are relative to starting the clock on them practicing. …
“It’s just really a question of whether they’re ready or not, and is that today, is it tomorrow, is it next week. I’m not sure what the time frame is on that, but I think they’re all moving in the right direction and the decisions really on this, before we start the clock, we just want to make sure that they’re confident and we’re confident that they’re ready for participation in the next stage of their return to play.”
The Patriots will have until Dec. 9 to add Herron to their 53-man roster. Edelman’s clock will start once he returns to practice.
— Practice squad wide receivers Isaiah Zuber and Mason Kinsey were not spotted during the open media portion of practice. Kinsey was released, a source told NESN.com’s Doug Kyed.
— Tight end Jake Burt returned from practice squad injured reserve, giving the Patriots some extra depth at the position. Fellow rookies Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene must remain on IR for another one and two games, respectively.
— Defensive tackle Nick Thurman was back at practice after being cut from the 53-man roster on Saturday. He appears to have re-signed to the practice squad.
— Wednesday’s practice was one of the coldest of the season, with temperatures in Foxboro hovering around 32 degrees. Players wore helmets and shells.
— The 4-5 Patriots are preparing to visit the 2-7 Houston Texans this Sunday at NRG Stadium.
