FOXBORO — In his brief tenure with the Patriots, Rex Burkhead has battled two knee injuries, an injury to his ribs, and a concussion.

But a neck injury suffered in a Week 3 loss to the Lions was the first that would lead to a long-term absence.

“It’s not fun, for sure,” Burkhead said yesterday at his locker. “It’s something I never really dealt with for that extended amount of time. But it puts things in perspective. It makes you really appreciate your time on the football field, in the locker room with the guys. It makes you miss it, for sure.”

After sitting out eight games while on injured reserve, Burkhead is back on the active roster — he was one of two IR players designated for return — and eligible to play as early as Sunday against the Vikings.

Burkhead brings a unique skill set to the Patriots backfield. A year ago, he carved out roles as the Patriots’ short-yardage back, supplanting Mike Gillislee, and at times split snaps on passing downs with James White. He’s the rare running back who can punch it in from the 1-yard line, as well as split out wide and run a slant against a linebacker.

Burkhead’s exact responsibilities now remain to be seen.

“We’ll see,” said Patriots coach Bill Belichick. “I don’t know.”

It’s reasonable to believe Burkhead will fill a similar role this season. Barring injury, rookie Sony Michel looks poised to continue leading the backfield in carries. Minus the Week 7 game against Chicago when Michel was injured on the opening play of the second quarter, he’s averaging 17.5 rushing attempts per game. He just turned in his best outing on Sunday against the Jets, and there’s little reason to think the Patriots will drastically alter his position in the offense.

Although he’s been quiet the past few games, White is in the midst of a career season. He’s on pace for 1,265 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns. He’ll be a major part of the offense going forward.

“He’s an all-around back,” Burkhead said. “He can do it all. He’s one of the smartest football players I’ve ever played with, definitely. He sees things that other players don’t see. It’s been cool to be along his side.”

So where does Burkhead fit?

It’s likely that he’ll become a mix-and-match complementary piece in the backfield, giving Michel a breather on one series, subbing in for White for an occasional third down or second-and-long.

The player that could lose touches is Cordarrelle Patterson, who took advantage of his opportunity as an emergency running back against the Bills and Packers.

“You see CP get in there and get some action, that was fun to watch,” Burkhead said. “But at the same time, (I was) just doing whatever I could to stay locked in mentally, doing things in the playbook, with film, whatever that may be.”

While on the mend, Burkhead saw the game from a new angle.

“You start to pick out things that normally you may not see when you’re on the field,” Burkhead said. “There’s certain things I definitely saw that I was like, man, if I did something that way or made an adjustment here, things could go a lot smoother.”

As Belichick noted in his Wednesday press conference, Burkhead can impact all four downs.

Take last year’s game against the Broncos, for example. Burkhead scored a 14-yard touchdown on the opening possession when he motioned out of the backfield and shook safety Darian Stewart on a slant route. In the second quarter, Burkhead burst through the line to block a punt.

Around Gillette, it’s common to hear, “the more you can do, the better.”

Burkhead can do pretty much anything.

Now, it’s just a matter of getting back into game condition. Burkhead returned to practice on Nov. 8.

“I think the little things, you just have to knock the rust off,” he said. “Whether that’s just route details or certain things, just getting back into it, I progressed, for sure. I would just say any time you step back on the field, even after the season when you come back for OTAs, knocking off some of the rust.”