FOXBORO — It’s been a long wait for Milton Williams.

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The Patriots’ defensive tackle suffered a high ankle sprain during a Thursday night win on Nov. 13 and was placed on injured reserve days later. By rule, Williams had to miss four games, a stretch that turned out to cover more than five weeks, including the team’ recent bye.  But now that extra time feels like a blessing, given Williams will start practicing this week, and could be tracking for a return Sunday at the Jets.

“We’ll see, we’ll see,” Williams said Tuesday in front of his locker. “I’ve been running, so it’s just getting back out there (at practice), getting acclimated. Of course, (it’s) getting my wind back, but also really practicing and pushing on the body, and seeing how I respond to that.”

Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said Tuesday he planned to let Williams practice Wednesday, which will open a three-week window where the team can activate him off injured reserve. Before activating Williams, the Pats must first clear a roster spot for his return.

“I know he worked extremely hard with the strength and conditioning staff, with the training staff, and (he was) involved in meetings,” Vrabel said. “What’s really hard to do is to be engaged in meetings when you know you’re not going to play and you have some time. And so, I appreciate what he’s done here, and his leadership and willingness to try to get back.”

Williams indicated he knew early on in his recovery that he would be able to return after missing the minimum four games.

“After we went to the doctor, he said it was sturdy enough for me not to have surgery,” Williams said. “So (it was) once they told me I didn’t have to go under the knife. The process was (still) obviously gonna take a little while, because a high ankle can linger a little bit.”

In his absence, the Patriots’ run defense has plummeted from the league’s stingiest to one of its worst. Since Week 12, Pats have allowed 4.6 yards per carry and rank second-to-last in rushing success rate allowed. Their pass rush has also taken a hit, posting a bottom-10 sack rate.

Williams won’t be able to fix all that ails the Patriots’ defense, but he hopes to return to form in short order with the playoffs now on the horizon.

“The guys, they’ve been fighting and holding it down since I’ve been gone. So when I try to get back out there, I’ll try to do my part, make plays. My mindset never changed,” he said. “I missed a couple weeks, but will try to get back out there and be the same player that I was.”