Patriots wide receiver in concussion protocol

New England Patriots rookie wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk is in the NFL's concussion protocol, head coach Jerod Mayo confirmed on Wednesday. Polk left Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars early with what was listed at the time as a head injury.

In order to return, Polk now has to clear a five-step process laid out by the NFL. It's been rare this year for players to return the week after entering the protocol.

On Wednesday the Patriots held their first practice of the week. Polk was one of four players not spotted on the field, along with running back Rhamondre Stevenson, guard Layden Robinson, and linebacker Curtis Jacobs.

Polk, the Patriots' second-round pick back in the spring, is coming off of a tough two-game stretch. He has two drops against the Houston Texans two weeks ago, then last week lost the battle for contested catches on multiple occasions and fell down on a route on a two-point conversion.

If Polk doesn't play on Sunday, the Patriots will need somebody else to step into the fourth receiver role behind Pop Douglas, Kendrick Bourne, and Kayshon Boutte. The top candidates for that role would be K.J. Osborn, who caught a touchdown last week after he was originally supposed to be inactive, and rookie Javon Baker, who was inactive last week with an illness and was a healthy scratch for the four games before that.