Three Patriots Starters Return To Practice Ahead Of Commanders Game

FOXBORO, Mass. -- Just one member of the Patriots' 53-man roster was missing from the team's final Week 9 practice.

Wide receiver DeVante Parker (concussion), left tackle Trent Brown (knee/ankle) and defensive tackle Davon Godchaux (illness) all returned to the field Friday as the Patriots made their final preparations for Sunday's matchup with the Washington Commanders at Gillette Stadium.

Parker and Brown both missed the first two practices this week. Godchaux sat out Thursday after participating Wednesday. All three were in uniform during the brief portion of Friday's session that was open to reporters.

Parker's return was a surprise, as it typically takes players more than a week to clear the NFL's concussion protocol. It did not necessarily mean the wideout had been fully cleared, however, and his status for Sunday remained uncertain. Fellow Patriots wide receivers Demario Douglas and JuJu Smith-Schuster both suffered concussions in the Patriots' Week 5 loss to New Orleans, and neither played the following week.

A helmet-to-helmet hit knocked Parker, who missed multiple games with a concussion late last season, out of last week's loss to the Miami Dolphins. Brown played every offensive snap in that game but was visibly limited.

Offensive tackle Calvin Anderson was the lone absence Friday. He's been sidelined with an illness since before the Dolphins game and has not played since Week 6.

The Patriots will release their final Week 9 injury report Friday afternoon. Kickoff on Sunday is set for 1 p.m. ET.