Rob Gronkowski injury: Patriots TE likely to stay on PUP

Gronk is still in street clothes and won't be practicing any time soon. It's likely that he will open the season on the reserve/PUP list.

By Jon Benne@LordBenne Aug 4, 2013, 2:45pm EDT

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski isn't any closer to practicing, and it's possible he may not be ready for the regular season as he recovers from back surgery. The Patriots have no update on his status and won't even make him available to the media until he's activated from the active/PUP.

Ben Volin of the Boston Globe notes that Gronkowski spent the entire training camp in street clothes, and the most likely outcome is that he starts the regular season on the reserve/PUP list, making in ineligible for the first six weeks of the season.

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Gronkowski had surgery on June 18 to repair a herniated disc in his back. It's the same kind of surgery he had in September 2009 while at the University of Arizona. That surgery took about five months to fully recover from -- he wasn't able to participate in the 2010 NFL Combine.

The Patriots start the season on September 8, about 12 weeks after Gronkowski's back surgery. He also had four surgeries to repair a broken forearm, making it even more likely that he won't be ready in Week 1.