Report: Dion Lewis To Start Practicing With Patriots This Week
BOSTON (CBS) -- Look out, NFL. The Patriots might be on the verge of getting even better.
The team will likely welcome back running back Dion Lewis to the practice field this week for the first time all season, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Lewis entered the season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list after undergoing a second surgery to repair his knee in August. Lewis initially injured the knee last November and then participated in offseason workouts. But a setback somewhere along the line led to that second procedure.
Once Lewis begins practicing, the Patriots will have a three-week window to place him on the active roster.
On Tuesday, head coach Bill Belichick was asked about the potential to activate players off the PUP list this week.
"We'll have to talk with our medical and conditioning staff and kind of get a sense of where everybody is and then figure that out from when practice starts on Wednesday, so we'll take a look at that information and see where we are and then make a decision on it prior to Wednesday's practice," Belichick said.
Lewis, still just 26 years, old, has had a career plagued with injuries. He was drafted in 2011 but has played in just 31 of a possible 87 games in his career with the Eagles, Colts, Browns and Patriots.
Last season, Lewis played in seven games for New England, rushing for 234 yards and two touchdowns on 49 carries (4.8 YPC) while also catching 36 passes for 388 yards and two touchdowns -- including what might have been the play of the year in the NFL.
Since Tom Brady returned to the Patriots in Week 5, the team has gone 3-0, scoring 31.7 points per game. On the season, even with rookie Jacoby Brissett starting at quarterback for two games and getting shut out in one of them, the Patriots rank seventh in the league in yards per game (383.6) and 10th in points per game (25.5).
