Keene (knee) returned to practice Wednesday, opening the three-week window for the tight end to be activated from IR, Mike Reiss of ESPN NFL Nation reports.
Keene can be removed from IR whenever the team deems him ready, but he'll need to show that he's good to go in practice first. Given New England's lack of tight end usage in the passing game this season, Keene's unlikely to make much of an impact even once deemed healthy.