FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is still not 100 percent healthy, still feeling the effects of when he pulled up and took himself out of practice on Aug. 15. He remains limited in practice with a hamstring injury.
Gronkowski's inclusion on the team's first injury report of the season Wednesday adds context to what he's been facing health-wise. Gronkowski took himself out of a joint practice with the Chicago Bears on Aug. 15 after attempting to catch a pass from quarterback Tom Brady along the sideline. He returned to practice Aug. 24, but didn't play in either of the final two preseason games, which wasn't a major surprise considering Gronkowski hasn't played in the preseason since 2012.
The Patriots kept four tight ends on their initial 53-man roster: Gronkowski, Martellus Bennett, Clay Harbor and AJ Derby. That is one more than the norm.
Elsewhere on the Patriots' injury report, projected starting right guard Jonathan Cooper remains limited by a foot injury that cause him to be carted off the practice field on July 30. Defensive end/outside linebacker Shea McClellin, meanwhile, injured his shoulder in the preseason opener, didn't play the remainder of the preseason and remains limited in practice.
Also, starting left tackle Nate Solder (hamstring), defensive end Trey Flowers (shoulder), second-year guard Shaq Mason (hand) and receiver Malcolm Mitchell (left elbow) were limited.
It is notable that starting defensive end Jabaal Sheard is not listed on the injury report, after injuring his knee in the preseason opener.
Meanwhile, on the personnel front, the Patriots had the following players in for tryouts over the last 24 hours: quarterback Sean Renfree (Duke); wide receivers Da’Ron Brown (Northern Illinois), Jordan Leslie (Brigham Young), Max McCaffrey (Duke), Mekale McKay (Cincinnati) and DeAndrew White (Alabama); linebacker Deon King (Norfolk State) and defensive end B.J. McBryde (Connecticut).
