Rob Gronkowski expected to play against Colts

Rob Gronkowski exited the New England Patriots’ Week 4 win over the Miami Dolphins with an ankle injury, but the star tight end is not expected to miss any game action because of it.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the plan is for Gronkowski to play against the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night.

Patriots’ TE Rob Gronkowski is expected to be active tonight vs. the Colts despite the questionable status that limited his practice time this week as well as his availability Sunday, per source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 4, 2018

Assuming Gronkowski is able to play, it will be the first time in nearly two years that the Patriots have had both Gronk and Julian Edelman — who is returning from a four-game suspension — on the field together.

And with this news, tonight will mark the first time the Patriots will have Gronk and Julian Edelman on the field together since November 27, 2016, as previously noted by @MikeReiss. https://t.co/FrtpZ0lNjp

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) October 4, 2018

Gronkowski missed practice earlier in the week but was able to return to a limited session on Wednesday. He has been listed on the injury report a few times this season with an ankle injury, so it’s possible the ailment is a minor one that has been lingering. If it were anything serious, the Patriots would not risk having him play on Thursday.