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Injury Report: Patriots Have Perfect Attendance At Practice

By Gregory Hunt

For the New England Patriots, their injury report wasn't too long before last week's bye, so now it's even shorter as they prepare to face the Dallas Cowboys this Sunday at AT&T Stadium. Only four players are listed on this week's report, and all of them have participated in practice. By contrast, the Cowboys will be without starting quarterback Tony Romo (collarbone) and wide receiver Dez Bryant (foot), although they will be getting back several players on defense.

Limited participation in practice (three players)

Cornerback Tarell Brown makes his first appearance on the Patriots injury report due to a foot injury, although it's unclear when the injury occurred. He was active for New England's previous game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he didn't play a down. He was actually in New England's starting lineup for the first two weeks of the season before missing the Jacksonville game. Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan will likely be the starting cornerbacks against Dallas, with undrafted rookie Justin Coleman filling in at the nickleback position.

Dealing with a hamstring issue is another cornerback, Bradley Fletcher, who was inactive against Jacksonville although he was not listed on the injury report for that week. Fletcher is in his first year with the Patriots after stints with the St. Louis Rams and Philadelphia Eagles. He made eight tackles with one forced fumble in the first two games of the season.

Still waiting to make his official NFL debut is rookie defensive end Trey Flowers, who has been on the sideline since suffering a knee injury in a preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. This week's report also lists him as dealing with a shoulder injury, but it's not clear when that injury occurred. The Patriots have a lot of depth along the defensive front seven, so there's no hurry to rush him into the lineup.

Full participation in practice (one player)

Offensive lineman Ryan Wendell is still recovering from an undisclosed illness, but for the first time in several weeks he has been a full participant in practice. The New England offensive line, particularly rookie center David Andrews, has been playing very well, so it remains to be seen how Wendell will be incorporated into the lineup if he is activated for Sunday's game.

Removed from the injury list (four players)

Second-year defensive end Dominique Easley has dealt with a number of injuries in his short career, but a recent hip injury has finally healed enough for him to be removed from the injury list. There's a good chance he'll reclaim his starting job this weekend. Also fully healed are linebacker Dont'a Hightower and cornerback Logan Ryan, who were both on the previous injury report with shoulder injuries. Look for both of them to be in the starting lineup against Dallas. Running back Travaris Cadet was nursing a hamstring injury a couple of weeks ago, but the main reason he is not on this week's report is because he was cut from the team Sept. 29 when the Patriots acquired linebacker Jon Bostic in a trade with the Chicago Bears. Cadet is currently a free agent.

Gregory Hunt is a Boston native and a life-long fan of the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics. He's also particularly fond of lacrosse, IndyCar racing and women's college basketball. He currently works for Examiner.com where he serves as the Senior Manager of Content and Media Access. He also writes for Examiner.com as the New England Patriots Examiner. His work can be found on aExaminer.com.

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