Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski has been sidelined for the past month due to a rib injury, but there is now a possibility that he may soon be ready to make his return to in-game action.

Gronkowski has missed the Buccaneers' last four games due to a rib injury suffered during the Week 3 road loss against the Los Angeles Rams. He first left the contest in the third quarter after taking a hard hit by Rams linebacker Terrell Lewis.

He ended up returning to the game, but as was revealed later by FOX Sports' Jay Glazer, he came away from the road loss with four cracked ribs, one broken rib and a punctured lung.

Gronkowski made his long-awaited return to practice on Wednesday ahead of the Buccaneers' upcoming Week 8 road clash against the New Orleans Saints. Overall, the four-time Super Bowl-winning tight end was limited throughout the team's scheduled practice sessions this week.

After Tampa Bay's scheduled practice session on Friday, head coach Bruce Arians noted that Gronkowski has “a chance” to feature in the team's NFC South clash with the Saints.

For now, Gronkowski is being listed as questionable for this upcoming matchup.

If Gronkowski ends up not receiving the green light to play against New Orleans, then tight end Cameron Brate may be called upon to heavily feature in the game, especially as O.J. Howard is currently dealing with a minor ankle injury.

A win for Tampa Bay over New Orleans in Week 8 would give the team a 2.5-game lead in the NFC South standings.