Source: Mike Patterson Cleared For Return

Mike Patterson has received medical clearance to resume play and is expected to return to practice as early as Monday, according to a league source.

Dr. Robert Spetzler, the surgeon out of Arizona who performed Patterson’s brain surgery, has cleared the defensive tackle. That does not mean Patterson will be playing on Sundays just yet. It will take some time to get back in football shape.

Players on the non-football injury list must miss the first six weeks of the season. They then have a three-week window to return to practice. Once they resume practicing, they must be activated within three weeks or else are ineligible to return to the 53-man roster for the rest of the year.

Patterson was diagnosed with a brain malformation last August and underwent surgery this offseason to correct the issue. It appeared Patterson was on track for a return right around the start of training camp, but it was determined that the bone graft on his cranium  still needed some time to heal.

CSN Philly was the first to report that Patterson was potentially  nearing a return.