FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. Patriots running back Mike Gillislee, who has been sidelined with a knee injury since playing 15 snaps in the team’s Dec. 24 win over the Bills, returned to practice on Thursday for the first time since the injury. Gillislee has been diagnosed with a sprained ligament in the knee, according to a source, which might have happened on his first play of that game – a 6-yard run off right tackle in which he powered through Matt Milano’s tackle attempt before being brought down by Lorenzo Alexander.