FOXBORO — The injury-plagued Patriots will soon be adding fresh legs on offense and defense.

Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, linebacker Sione Takitaki and safety Marte Mapu all returned to practice Wednesday. Bourne and Takitaki began on the year on the PUP list, while Mapu was on injured reserve with a designation to return.

Wednesday was Bourne’s first practice since last year when he tore his ACL in late October. Takitaki took part in organized team activities but spent all of training camp on the PUP list with a knee injury. Mapu participated early in training camp but spent nearly all of the summer in an observation role.

The Patriots will have 21 days to activate Bourne, Takitaki and Mapu, but head coach Jerod Mayo seems to believe they could play as early as Sunday’s game against the Dolphins.

Related Articles

Patriots get major health shakeup at Wednesday practice

Patriots considering benching Rhamondre Stevenson for fumbling issues

Patriots center David Andrews to undergo season-ending surgery

Patriots mailbag: Could continued struggles lead to coaching changes?

Patriots-49ers film review: How Jerod Mayo’s offense and defense got exposed in San Francisco

“I wouldn’t say it’s unrealistic,” Mayo said Wednesday. “I think we have to sit here and see how the next couple of days go. Look, even those guys are at different points as far as, I’m not going to say 100%, 80% and all that stuff, but I would say those guys are at different points. They’ll practice depending on how their body feels. We’ll go through our individual drills, and we’ll take it from there.”

Bourne joins a wide receiver corps with DeMario Douglas, Ja’Lynn Polk, K.J. Osborn, Tyquan Thornton, Javon Baker and Kayshon Boutte already on the 53-man roster. Takitaki is returning at a good time with starting middle linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley on injured reserve. And Mapu could be needed as Kyle Dugger nurses an ankle injury that knocked him out of Sunday’s game and kept him from practicing Wednesday.

Dugger was spotted Wednesday afternoon limping in the locker room.