FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Could this be the week that New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman returns to action?
For those who have noted that Edelman had the same injury as Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant this season, it's timely to note that this weekend would mark the same time frame for Edelman (Nov. 15 injury, possible Jan. 3 return) as Bryant when he returned to action (Sept. 13 injury, Nov. 1 return).
Predictably, mum is the word around the team, although Edelman was a bit more visible in the locker room during the media-access period on Wednesday. He didn't formally address reporters and then was a limited participant in practice.
Edelman was one of 10 Patriots who were limited, a group that includes receiver Danny Amendola (left knee), tight end Scott Chandler (knee), safety Patrick Chung (foot/hip), linebacker Dont'a Hightower (left knee), guard Josh Kline (shoulder), receiver Brandon LaFell (foot), safety Devin McCourty (ankle) and offensive tackle LaAdrian Waddle (shoulder).
Meanwhile, defensive end Rob Ninkovich was one of four players not present. The team listed him as having a shin injury, which he sustained in Sunday's loss to the New York Jets and likely sparked the signing of veteran Dekoda Watson to fill his role on the punt protection unit.
In addition to Ninkovich, cornerback Justin Coleman (concussion), linebacker Jonathan Freeny (right hand) and offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer (left ankle) didn't practice.
Finally, the absence of rookie left guard Shaq Mason from the injury report adds context to him not playing on the final series against the Jets on Sunday. If Mason wasn't injured, he was pulled for performance-based reasons.
