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The 2017 NFL season doesn’t kick off for another five months, but Rob Gronkowski already is raring to go.
The New England Patriots tight end, who missed the final two months of the 2016 campaign after undergoing back surgery in early December, fired off a tweet Sunday night saying he “literally can’t wait to compete again and play ball.”
If Gronkowski can return to his pre-injury form, the Patriots’ offense has the potential to devastate opposing defenses.
Since the NFL league year opened earlier this month, New England, which ranked third in the NFL in points scored this past season, has added a potentially game-changing wide receiver in Brandin Cooks, a highly regarded running back in Rex Burkhead and a anew No. 2 tight end in Dwayne Allen, who replaces the departed Martellus Bennett.
Gronkowski was a force this season when healthy, averaging an eye-popping 21.6 yards per catch on 25 receptions. During the five games he was a full participant in, he surpassed 100 receiving yards three times.
Thumbnail photo via Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports Images
