After missing the first four games of the regular season, the clock has officially started for Jahlani Tavai.
The New England Patriots opened the veteran linebacker’s 21-day window to return from injured reserve on Wednesday.
“I expect him to practice, yes,” head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters. “I don’t have an update on the game, but he will return to play and practice.”
Tavai, 29, began training camp on the physically unable to perform list after suffering a calf injury during organized team activities in June. But the 6-foot-2, 255-pound linebacker would be sidelined again in August before being placed on injured reserve at the NFL’s 53-man roster deadline.
With the calendar now turned to October, Wednesday’s practice was circled as the earliest target date for his return.
The 2-2 Patriots have carried an open spot on the active roster for the past three weeks. Tavai, who signed a three-year, $16 million contract extension in the summer of 2024, is a primary candidate to take it before long.
Tavai’s time in Foxborough, which began on the practice squad in September 2021, has brought 44 starts, 64 games, 308 tackles, 3.5 sacks as well as three interceptions, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He has seen 2,378 snaps on defense and 1,075 snaps on special teams over that span.
The former Hawaii standout originally entered the league with the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 2019 draft at No. 43 overall.
The undefeated Buffalo Bills host Sunday’s 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff at Highmark Stadium.
