New England Patriots Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski is just a few days removed from missing Week 7 action against the Chicago Bears due to back spasm.

Despite not being on the practice field on Wednesday, Gronkowski is believed to have a chance to play this upcoming Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, according to Jim McBride of The Boston Globe.

Gronkowski had been dealing with back spasms that arose last Friday that persisted on Saturday morning that led to him not making the trip over to Chicago for the game. Since then, the Patriots have held the belief that it is a short-term issue that shouldn't keep him out of action for Sunday's contest against the Bills.

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He has been off to a strong start to the season with 26 catches for 405 receiving yards but has just one touchdown. There doesn't appear to be any real concern with his injury with the focus shifted over toward monitoring the situation as Gronkowski has had back issues throughout his career that required him to undergo multiple back surgery that forced him to miss a significant chunk of his career. The decision to have him not on the practice field on Wednesday was likely done for more precautionary reasons.

What will be more telling in this situation is his participation in practice on Thursday and Friday as those days typically indicate a player's availability for the upcoming game. This provides him the next couple of days to prove that he is physically ready to return to the field.

If he's unable to give it a go against the Bills, the Patriots will likely lean more heavily in the passing game on wide receivers Josh Gordon and Julian Edelman while running back James White may also factor into that aspect of the offense in a greater capacity.