Rob Gronkowski remains questionable after traveling to Houston with Pats

HOUSTON -- New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who is questionable with a bone bruise and sprain of his right knee, traveled with the team for Sunday night's road game against the Texans.

That means Gronkowski has yet to be ruled out, as the Patriots, per NFL guidelines, are required to downgrade players who don't travel.

Along those lines, the club downgraded starting linebacker Dont'a Hightower (knee) and starting guard Josh Kline (shoulder).

Gronkowski returned to practice Thursday for the first time since injuring the knee on Nov. 29 against the Denver Broncos. He missed Wednesday's full-pads practice, but upon his return, he was greeted with a low-five from coach Bill Belichick as he jogged in warm-ups.