Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is officially active against the Texans on Thursday night while Jimmy Garoppolo is officially a spectator.

ESPN's Adam Schefter was the first to report Gronk would see his first action of the season. Further evidence comes courtesy of owner Robert Kraft:

Meanwhile, the expectation is that rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett will make his first NFL start. He'll replace Jimmy Garoppolo, who replaced Tom Brady during the first two games of Brady's four-game suspension related to the Deflategate silliness.

With Brady still two weeks away from returning to the team, the other quarterback option behind Brissett is wide receiver Julian Edelman, who played quarterback at Kent State. (If you're interested, there are in-depth looks at Brissett and Edelman, NFL passing threats, here and here.)

There were rumors that Garoppolo might dress as the emergency quarterback, but CSNNE.com's Tom Curran reported earlier that Garoppolo has a Grade 2 AC joint injury, for which the typical recovery time is two-to-four weeks.

How much Gronkowski plays remains to be seen. He would certainly make life easier for Brissett, though offseason acquisition Martellus Bennett had a strong game last Sunday. Either way, the Patriots are already atop the AFC East without their two best players, which tells you everything you need to know about New England -- and the three other teams in that division.