The long wait for tight end Hunter Henry ended Monday when the Chargers activated him from the physically unable to preform list.
Now, Henry and the Chargers have a few more days to figure out whether he is in position to contribute in their biggest game yet.
Henry's status for the Chargers' divisional-round playoff matchup at New England won't be determined until the end of the week.
But Monday marked a milestone for Henry, who suffered a torn knee ligament in May. He made it back to the active roster in slightly less than eight months.
"He's really excited," coach Anthony Lynn said. "He's been with us all along. He's been in meetings all year. He's been very much engaged. So we feel like he's ready to play."
The Chargers had until Monday to active Henry. Otherwise, he would have been put on injured reserve and ruled out for the season.
When the team resumes practice Wednesday, Henry will be asked to push his conditioning and intensity to gauge his overall readiness. Last week, Lynn said the team was confident in the stability of Henry's knee.
"We still need to see him play more football," Lynn said. "You don't want to throw a player back in until he's ready. We're still evaluating him."
Henry has been traveling with the Chargers in recent weeks and was in Baltimore. The decision was made Saturday to not activate him for the wild-card game against the Ravens, a 23-17 Chargers victory.
When Henry returns, he'll provide the offense with another option, particularly in red-zone situations.
Against the Patriots, he would be limited to a predetermined number of snaps to avoid rushing him back.
But with a berth in the AFC title game going to the winner, the Chargers could use all their weapons.
"We're not just going to roll the ball out there and say, 'Hey, go,' " offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt said. "It's a little bit of working him back into it. To his credit, he's worked very hard."
