Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski remains in the NFL's concussion protocol, meaning he wasn't obligated to appear in Monday night's Super Bowl Opening Night in Minneapolis (and he didn't), but he is making progress toward being cleared for Sunday's game.

In fact, given what's been seen of Gronkowski since the weekend, the Boston Herald reported, "Barring a setback this week, his clearance seems to be far more about when than if."

On Monday, the Patriots tight end himself effectively ended any thought that he wouldn't play against the Eagles. First, he appeared at the Pat's send-off rally, a raucous event hardly for someone experiencing pronounced concussion side effects, and then after the rally, Gronkowski shared on Instagram his mindset, posting a photo of himself and a caption that read: "Locked in, ready to roll. Minnesota we here. #superbowl52".

The metaphorical picture could become even more clear in the next three days. Gronkowski, who was listed on New England's mandatory injury reports last week, was on the practice field Saturday and Sunday, when official reports weren't required, and looked to be uninhibited, according to multiple reports.

The Pats didn't work out Monday, their travel day, but have media responsibilities Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Again, NFL rules say players in the protocol don’t have to fulfill media obligations, so the Patriots could shelter him as some ongoing gamesmanship.

Come Sunday, however, all signs point to Gronkowski playing, and that's good news for the Patriots.
He had a team-high 69 receptions for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns in the regular season and typically is quarterback Tom Brady's go-to target and a matchup nightmare for defenses