FOXBORO — The New England Patriots got some good news and some bad news as they headed out to practice on Wednesday to prepare for the Green Bay Packers.

Speaking to reporters, head coach Mike Vrabel shared that wide receiver A.J. Brown, running back TreVeyon Henderson and defensive tackle Christian Barmore will all miss the session. But two players currently working their way back from injured reserve — wide receiver Mack Hollins and offensive guard Greg Van Roten — would begin their 21-day clocks to be activated.

Even with the trade deadline approaching, the Patriots aren't worried about any extracurriculars.

"We're focused on trying to prepare for Green Bay and make the corrections from the game," Vrabel said. "This is business as normal here."

Both Hollins and Van Roten were spotted during the media portion of the day and a few hours later, here's how the Patriots' first injury report looked:

And in Wisconsin, the Packers announced their injury report, which included one of the NFL's best defensive players back in the fold:

Big Names Remain Out

Both Brown and Henderson missed last week's win in Miami with ailments. For Brown, he's been nursing an ankle injury suffered in Week 1 and a knee injury that's plagued him for years.

"My concern is about trying to prepare for the Packers," Vrabel said when asked about if he's concerned about Brown's knee. "That's really my only concern. ... Certainly the health of the team is critical, but we have to make sure that the guys that are practicing are preparing for Green Bay."

Henderson, on the other hand, has missed several days with an illness. This comes as the trade deadline looms and Henderson, who hasn't had that strong of a start to the season, has had his name thrown around in rumors. How serious is this illness?

"It's serious (enough) that he won't be available today," Vrabel said bluntly.

With Henderson sidelined, the Patriots relied on Rhamondre Stevenson, Corey Kiner, Lan Larison (who signed to the 53-man roster on Saturday) and Terrell Jennings (who re-signed to the practice squad on Monday).

The Patriots were also without starting tight end Hunter Henry, who suffered a foot injury against the Dolphins.

How Will Patriots Use IR Returnees?

Each team is allowed to have eight players return off of IR during the regular season. Before Wednesday, the Patriots had only used a pair on Brown and offensive tackle Marcus Bryant. Both Hollins and Van Roten were the next two designations and could come back as early as this week.

They both won't count towards the 53-man roster, but the Patriots have three weeks to fully activate them to the roster. If not, their seasons will be over. Right now, Vrabel is focused on getting them ready to go.

"We just want to get guys out there to practice," he said. "There's only so much that the trainers and strength coaches can do with them. So hopefully we can work those guys back in and see where they are here as we work through the week."

Hollins will be an easy fit into an offense that's had a number of wideouts banged up to this point. Last week in Miami, the Patriots had just four active wide receivers (and one of them was Ryan Miller, a temporary practice squad call-up). He'll become a starter the moment he gets back on the field.

"He's smart and ... he's easy to throw to and does a lot of things the right way," Drake Maye said of Hollins' return. "It's comforting, definitely, having 13 out there and looking forward to seeing whenever he gets a chance."

For Van Roten, his path is a bit cloudier. The Patriots have gotten good guard play out of Ben Brown and Matt Pryor, who both had to step up after Van Roten's injury in Week 3. If Van Roten comes back, he may push one of those guys back into a reserve role.