Gronkowski (ribs) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Bears, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Gronkowski will miss a fourth straight game, and at this point, it would be somewhat surprising if the Bucs brought him back for Week 8 against Washington, their final contest before a Week 9 bye. However, Gronkowski has only been ruled out for Week 7 at the moment, leaving O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate to continue splitting work at tight end.

Gronkowski (ribs) wasn't spotted on the field during the portion of Friday's practice that was open to the media, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Gronkowski has yet to practice this week while recovering from a punctured lung and cracked and fractured ribs. The 32-year-old seems unlikely to be available for Sunday's matchup with the Bears, which would mark his fourth consecutive absence.

Gronkowski (ribs) was a non-participant at Thursday's practice.

EDGE Analysis

Prior to the session, Gronkowski was spotted running while speed and conditioning coach Roger Kingdom and team trainer Bobby Slater looked on, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. It's unclear where Gronkowski stands in his recovery from cracked and fractured ribs and a punctured lung that he sustained back in Week 3, but he hasn't yet reached the stage where even individual drills are on the table. There's a good chance he's ruled out on the Buccaneers' final Week 7 injury report, which would leave O.J. Howard (ankle) and Cameron Brate as the team's main tight ends Sunday against the Bears.

Gronkowski (ribs) was unable to practice Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

There's no telling when Gronkowski will be given clearance to practice again after suffering a cracked rib and punctured lung back in Week 3, but he'll have two more chances to get back on the field in advance of Sunday's game against the Bears. The Buccaneers have a Week 9 bye in the near future, so the team may have aspirations of getting the tight end back in the fold for the second half of the season considering the nature of his injuries. O.J. Howard (ankle) also didn't practice Wednesday, which leaves Cameron Brate as the only healthy TE on the active roster.

Gronkowski (ribs) has been ruled out for Thursday's game in Philadelphia, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

EDGE Analysis

With Gronkowski out for a third straight game, Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard are likely to continue rotating at tight end. Gronkowski hasn't practiced for three weeks since suffering multiple internal injuries, but the Bucs haven't ruled him out beyond Week 6. He'll now have some extra time to recover before Tampa's next game Oct. 24 against the Bears.

Gronkowski (ribs) isn't expected to play Thursday against the Eagles, Jordan Schultz of ESPN reports.

EDGE Analysis

Tampa Bay will provide an official Week 6 injury designation for Gronkowski at the conclusion of Wednesday's practice, but after the tight end was listed as a non-participant on the first two injury reports of the week, his expected absence for a third consecutive game isn't a major surprise. While Schultz notes that Gronkowski has made "steady progress" since suffering cracked and fractured ribs and a punctured lung in the Bucs' Sept. 26 loss to the Rams, the 32-year-old doesn't look like he'll be ready to return on a short week. Assuming Gronkowski is ultimately inactive Thursday, O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate will likely split the reps at tight end once again.

Gronkowski (ribs) didn't participate in Tuesday's practice, Carmen Vitali of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

EDGE Analysis

According to Jenna Laine of ESPN.com, head coach Bruce Arians said Tuesday that he's encouraged by the progress Gronkowski has made in his recovery from the injury to his ribs that he sustained Week 3, but the Buccaneers won't decide whether the tight end will travel to Philadelphia for Thursday's game against the Eagles until after Wednesday's practice. Despite Arians' optimism, Gronkowski hasn't taken a tangible step forward in terms of on-field activity since suffering the injury -- he's now been listed as a non-participant for eight consecutive practices. Even if Gronkowski manages limited activity Wednesday, he'll likely be treated as a game-time decision for Thursday's contest, if not listed as doubtful or out in advance.

Gronkowski (ribs) was listed as a non-participant Monday on the Buccaneers' estimated practice report, Carmen Vitali of the team's official site reports.

EDGE Analysis

Gronkowski has missed the Buccaneers' last two games with four cracked ribs, a broken rib and a punctured lung, and though he has yet to return to the practice field since suffering the injury Week 3, the tight end isn't being ruled out from playing Thursday against the Eagles. Per Greg Auman of The Athletic, head coach Bruce Arians said Gronkowski will be a "very close" call for Thursday, with the 32-year-old's availability for the contest likely hinging on what he's able to do in practices Tuesday and Wednesday. If Gronkowski is unable to play on the short week, O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate likely would split the reps at tight end against the Eagles.

Gronkowski (ribs) won't play in Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

EDGE Analysis

Head coach Bruce Arians made it official Friday, but Gronkowski never seemed likely to play once it was reported that his injuries include four cracked ribs, a broken rib and a punctured lung. While the Bucs haven't ruled the tight end out beyond Sunday, it's probably fair to call him worse than a 50-50 bet to play in a Thursday road game against the Eagles in Week 6, just four days after Tampa hosts the Dolphins. For however long Gronkowski remains out, Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard will split snaps at tight end. Last week, Brate got the start and played 64 percent of snaps, but he finished with just two catches for 29 yards on six targets in the win over New England. Howard had just one target and no catches, though he technically earned more playing time (65 percent) despite coming off the bench.

Gronkowski (ribs) was a non-participant in Thursday's practice, Carmen Vitali of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

EDGE Analysis

Barring a dramatic step forward in his practice activity Friday in the Buccaneers' final Week 5 session, Gronkowski looks in line to miss a second straight game Sunday versus the Dolphins. According to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, Gronkowski sustained four cracked ribs, a broken rib and a punctured lung in the Bucs' Week 3 loss to the Rams, so it makes sense for the team to take a cautious approach with the oft-injured tight end. Tampa Bay still has some optimism that Gronkowski will be ready to go for the team's quick turnaround in Week 6, when the Buccaneers travel to Philadelphia for a Thursday night game.