Patriots designate three players to return from IR/PUP…with one notable exception

Players placed on IR or PUP to start the NFL season have to miss at least four weeks before they can return to play. That makes Week 5 a notable benchmark for player returns.

The New England Patriots have five players who became eligible to return this week. At Wednesday's practice - the first of the week - three of those players were spotted on the field. That indicated their three-week window to return has begun. Players not activated within the three weeks revert to IR/PUP and become ineligible to play for the rest of the season.

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--J.C. Jackson is back with the Patriots
--Christian Gonzalez' rookie year is likely over
--Another defensive line addition

Offensive lineman Riley Reiff, defensive lineman Trey Flowers, and special teamer Cody Davis were all on the field with the Patriots Wednesday afternoon at Gillette Stadium. The team now had three weeks to add these players to the active roster - players not activated within the three week window revert to wither IR or PUP and become ineligible to play for the remainder of the year.

Reiff, who was signed as a free agent back in the spring, began training camp as the Patriots' starting right tackle. After struggling in that spot he kicked inside to guard and played well, until injuring his knee in the preseason finale against the Giants. He was then placed on IR after the initial roster was set.

When Reiff returns, the Patriots have two main options for how to use him. The first would be putting him back at right tackle, where Calvin Anderson started the season before being replaced by Vederian Lowe two weeks in. Another move that could be made would be moving Mike Onwenu out to right tackle and putting Reiff at right guard, where he was more successful this summer. That being said, the Patriots have been against the idea of moving Onwenu out to right tackle since the start of last season.

Both Flowers and Davis are returning from PUP, meaning this was the first time they've been on the field all season. Flowers was signed by the team in early August and almost immediately put on the PUP list with an undisclosed injury. With the team now needed depth on the edge following Matthew Judon's elbow surgery, Flowers could find snaps in that role.

Davis was rehabbing from a significant knee injury he suffered last season. He will likely slot into his old special teams role when cleared.

As mentioned above, the Patriots now have three weeks to officially add each of the three players to the active roster. They'll need a corresponding move to do so, but likely have at least two roster spots opening up with Judon and rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez expected to go on IR.

While Reiff, Flowers, and Davis all returned, there are still two Patriots players on IR who were eligible to return this week but weren't spotted at practice - wide receiver Tyquan Thornton and cornerback Jack Jones.

Thornton, who injured his shoulder during joint practices with the Green Bay Packers in Week 2 of the preseason, had been posting on social media in recent days showing himself working out in the team facility. That led some to believe he'd be back this week.

With Jones, ESPN's Mike Reiss reported last week that the team expects him to remain out until 'midseason,' so his continued absence isn't much of a surprise. Jones injured his hamstring in practice in the lead-up to Week 1.

Outside of the players returning from IR and PUP, there were no surprises at Patriots practice on Wednesday. Judon and Gonzalez were the only players currently on the active roster not spotted on the field.

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.

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There are many top-10 quarterback lists on the internet. We at the Joe Murray show give you the top-10 quarterbacks in the NFL.....right now.

Tua has been the best quarterback this season, in my opinion. I know he has Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, but I don’t hold that against him. Tua is the key to the success of the already stacked Miami Dolphins offense.

His quick decision-making and sometimes even quicker release make him the best quarterback in the league this season. If he can stay healthy, I expect he will stay at the top of this list every week.

Allen is right behind Tua. After getting off to a slow start in week one, he’s had an incredible season so far. Allen’s quick footwork and his ability to turn broken plays into positive ones separate him from most QBs in the league. While he still has some turnover issues, I expect him to battle for the top spot with Tua all year.

Lamar Jackson comes in at No. 3 on this list and, to me, right now he could be the league's MVP. Even though the Ravens' roster seems depleted by injuries yet again, Jackson continues to find ways to win with his arm and his legs.

Dragging his team to victory each week, Jackson continues to prove he is as dynamic as any player in the NFL. I expect Jackson to be in the MVP race all season and the Ravens to be a tough out in the playoffs.

Yes, Patrick Mahomes is No. 4. Some of this may be due to Mahomes fatigue, or the fact that his only real offensive threat is Travis Kelce, but he has also made some uncharacteristic mistakes turning the ball over this season. I still think Mahomes can be the best QB in the world and if you were starting a franchise today you’d be silly not to take him No. 1.

However, if we’re just going based off the first four games of the season, I think it’s fair to say he hasn’t been quite as sharp as he has been in the past.

Justin Herbert is one of the more polarizing QBs in the league, as the Internet seems to have a love-hate relationship with him. One side considers him one of the great young QBs, and the other side points to his win-loss record and lack of big game moments.

I tend to lean toward the view that Herbert is slightly overrated, but when you look at his numbers and watch the games, it’s clear that his coaching staff is letting him down. Losing Austin Ekeler for a couple weeks certainly didn’t help either, as Herbert and the offense struggled to close out games and find the red zone when they needed it most.

I don’t think the Chargers have the roster to make a late season push, but Herbert has potential if he gets a real coach and defense to rack up those big wins.

Goff has been one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL for the last calendar year. Bringing the Lions back to relevancy is no easy task, and Goff and Dan Campbell have done more than that.

The Lions look to be the favorite in the NFC North right now. Goff still has some questionable decision-making, but he seemed to limit it enough where his big plays outweigh the bad decisions. If Goff can keep things simple and continue to play within the system, get the ball to Amon-Ra St. Brown and their other weapons, the Lions have a real chance to win the NFC North, and maybe even make some noise in the playoffs.

Mayfield is one of the more surprising names on the list, but if you’ve watched him play at all this year it shouldn’t be too surprising. Mayfield's gotten back to his roots of being a quick decision-maker and letting his playmakers do most of the work.

No one really knew what to expect out of the Buccaneers this season, but with Mayfield at the helm of a weak NFC South, they have a chance to make a run at the top of the division. I don’t expect the Buccaneers to make any noise in the playoffs, but if Mayfield continues to play well, they’ll be a hard team to beat late in the season.

Stroud is probably the most surprising name on the list going into this season, but Stroud has been absolutely tremendous in his rookie campaign. Stroud has yet to throw an interception in the NFL and he looks like an absolute monster in the red zone.

The Texans are in a rebuilding year, but Stroud certainly seems to be speeding up the process. In another weak division, the Texans could be right back on top of the AFC South with only a few small moves, especially if the Jaguars continue to struggle.

I'm having a tough time with Jalen Hurts. Last season, I thought he was a top 3-5 QB in the league and he dominated with his arm and legs. This season, he doesn't seem to be reaching the same level.

Hurts could have been as high as No. 6 on this list, but I think the QBs in front of him have had more impressive seasons, and some with far less talent around them. Overall, the Eagles offense has still been very good, but not quite as in sync as it was last year. Hurts is a dynamic player who already has 5 throwing and 3 rushing touchdowns.

He's what makes the Eagles offense go, and I expect them to figure things out as the season goes on.

I think Kirk Cousins is a perfectly average quarterback in the NFL. He doesn’t win a ton of games, but he’s also not going lose too many games.

Listing him as a top 10 quarterback feels high, but watching him play so far (even though I saw him throw one of the worst interceptions I've ever seen this season) and looking at his numbers, he deserves the spot. Not only does he currently lead the league in touchdowns, but he and Justin Jefferson are one of the most deadly offensive duos.

Cousins is a name that I wouldn’t expect to finish in the top 10, but up to this point, the Vikings' problems haven’t been Cousins' problems.