FOXBOROUGH — With his four-game “Deflategate” suspension completed, Tom Brady was eligible to step back into the New England Patriots’ team facility on Monday for the first time in a month.
But if he was there, no one was willing to say.
Only a handful of Brady’s teammates appeared in the locker room after attending position group meetings and none of them acknowledged laying eyes on their quarterback.
“I haven’t seen him yet,” receiver and special teams captain Matt Slater said.
“No,” tackle Nate Solder responded when asked if he’d run into No. 12.
Maybe receiver Chris Hogan happened to catch a glimpse?
“I haven’t seen him.”
Was he on the premises, at least?
“I can’t answer that question,” Slater said.
It’s possible Brady may have not been in the building. Though he and defensive end Rob Ninkovich — whose four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substance ended Monday — were allowed to be back, it’s unclear when the team must make room on its 53-man roster to accommodate their returns.
Coach Bill Belichick was less than forthcoming when he was asked that question during his teleconference Monday morning.
“I don’t have an exact answer for that right this second,” he said. “Why don’t you call the league and ask them? I’m sure they have the answers.”
The Patriots announced later that they released TE Clay Harbor. Harbor appeared in three games with New England, mainly on special teams, and did not register any statistics.
The players are off Tuesday, so if Brady and Ninkovich haven’t been officially activated yet, it appears Wednesday may be the earliest that would take place.
Whenever it happens, Slater said, the presence of their team leader would be welcomed as the Patriots turn their attention to Sunday’s trip to Cleveland.
“We know what type of player he’s been for this team. We know what type of leader he’s been for this team,” Slater said. “But all that being said, we all have a job to do with him here now. So we’re excited about the challenges that lie ahead.”
Solder said having their third different quarterback in the huddle in five games won’t affect their preparations.
“That doesn’t matter because we have a job,” Solder said. “We have to block the guys in front of us. It doesn’t matter who’s behind us. We got to do our job.”
A recap of the Patriots’ month without Brady:
THE REPLACEMENTS: Neither Jimmy Garoppolo nor Jacoby Brissett had made an NFL regular-season start prior to this season. Garoppolo made his debut a memorable one, throwing for 264 yards and a touchdown in New England’s 23-21 road win over the Arizona Cardinals.
Garoppolo was having an even better outing against the Miami Dolphins at home the following week, throwing three touchdown passes, before being knocked out of the game in the second quarter after having his right shoulder slammed into the turf. Brissett took over and helped the Patriots hold on for a 31-24 win.
With Garoppolo’s shoulder still sore, Brissett ran for a touchdown the following week in his first career start in a 27-0 win over the Houston Texans. He tweaked his right thumb in the second half but recovered enough to start Sunday against the Bills, which ended in his first career loss.
GRONK’S SLOW START: Rob Gronkowski hasn’t been himself since suffering a hamstring injury late during training camp. He missed the first two games of the season and has played sparingly since. But he finally broke through with his first reception of the season late in Sunday’s loss. He, too, is looking forward to having Brady’s presence back in the huddle. “I mean, I don’t even have to answer that,” Gronkowski said when asked about Brady’s impact. “You’ve got to give hats off to Jacoby going out there. Much respect to him going out there and doing what he did (Sunday) as a rookie, so hats off to our quarterbacks. They did a tremendous job the first four weeks and obviously it’s exciting to get Tom back.”
INJURIES: Along with the quarterbacks and Gronk, the Patriots continue to deal with a handful of injuries at key positions. Linebacker Dont’a Hightower has been slowed by a knee issue, and guard Jonathan Cooper has yet to play because of a foot issue.
BLOUNT TO THE RESCUE: Running back LeGarrette Blount was a saving grace for New England’s offense with Brady out. Through three games, he was leading the NFL in rushing with a 99.3 yards per game average. His efforts earned him the AFC’s offensive player of the month award for September. He finished with just 54 yards against Buffalo, but should help take the early pressure off Brady as he eases back in.
UP NEXT: Brady’s first taste of the 2016 regular season will be at Cleveland on Sunday. He returns to Gillette Stadium on Oct. 16 when the Patriots host the Bengals.