FOXBOROUGH — Linebacker Jamie Collins, who has missed the past three games with an undisclosed illness, is back at Patriots practice on Friday.
Collins hadn't been seen on the field with his teammates since Nov. 6, two days before the home game against Washington. He was added to the injury report Nov. 7, and had not been spotted at any practice or game since then.
Despite missing three games, Collins was still the Patriots' leading tackler until this week, when he was finally overtaken by both Logan Ryan and Dont'a Hightower. With 51 tackles, Collins is third on the team. He also has 4 ½ sacks and three forced fumbles.
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The Patriots will offer injury designations after Friday's practice, so we'll know if Collins has been ruled out of Sunday night's game at Denver, or if there is a chance he'll play against the Broncos.
Collins had missed just one game over his first two seasons. That came in Week 2 last season, when he paced the Patriots with 116 tackles for the 2014 season. He is in the third year of the four-year rookie contract he signed, and is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2016 season. Expect the Patriots to make an attempt to extend Collins's contract.
Three players were not spotted at Friday's practice: cornerback Justin Coleman, who has a hand injury, wide receiver Julian Edelman (foot), and linebacker Eric Martin, who has not been on the injury report this week.
Michael Whitmer can be reached at mwhitmer@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeWhitmer.