FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, whose 2016 season was cut short due to a back injury that required surgery, has a clean bill of health for the start of training camp.
"He doesn't have limits that I know of," coach Bill Belichick said Thursday when asked if the next challenge for Gronkowski is to absorb full contact.
Asked what he has noticed from Gronkowski's approach returning from his back injury, Belichick added, "That was all pretty much over with by the start of the offseason program [in the spring]."
Gronkowski had been a full participant in spring practices, and said at the time that he was 100 percent. But those practices aren't held in full pads. The Patriots' first full-pads practice is expected to be Saturday.
On Wednesday, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said of Gronkowski, "He's worked hard, he's in condition. His attitude has been phenomenal, he's been present in the building, he's here, you see him working very hard. So the mindset really is where you want it to be, and now we got to go out there and do it."