Pats’ linebacker Rosevelt Colvin talks with five-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Richard Seymour, center, who returned to practice this week.

The Providence Journal / Bob Breidenbach

If Joe Gibbs thought his Washington Redskins were a “huge” underdog earlier in the week, imagine how he’s feeling now that the New England Patriots have activated five-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Richard Seymour.

Adding Seymour to a defense ranked fourth in the NFL must be a scary prospect not just for Gibbs and the Redskins, but every one of the Patriots’ remaining opponents.

"To add a guy who has been a tremendous mainstay on our defensive line, a guy that’s very big, physical, strong, can do it all — rush the passer, stop the run — just his presence along with his leadership will be tremendous for us," safety Rodney Harrison said this week.

Seymour began practicing Wednesday, after an offseason knee surgery landed him on the unable-to-perform list to start the year. But it apparently didn’t take much for him to convince coach Bill Belichick that he could get back on the field, as he was activated after three days of practice.

When Gibbs was asked about Seymour’s potential return, he replied, “I don’t like it, I can tell you that. I’ve got great respect for him.”

But Seymour’s return isn’t necessarily for this week’s game — it’s for next week’s, when New England travels to the scene of its last loss, Indianapolis.

The 6-foot-6, 310-pound defensive end last year became the first Patriots player since Andre Tippett to be named to five consecutive Pro Bowls, despite his numbers being down a bit compared with previous years. The fact that Seymour is always facing a double-team as well as the rise of Ty Warren contributed to his lower numbers (51 tackles, 25 solo, four sacks, one interception, eight passes defended).

Without Seymour, the defensive line has played well. New England is allowing 92.7 rushing yards per game, ninth in the league, while Warren, Vince Wilfork and Seymour’s replacement, Jarvis Green, have combined for 5½ sacks.

“I’ve seen a lot worse,” Belichick said Thursday when asked how the D-line played in Seymour’s absence. “I don’t think it’s perfect. We’ve been competitive defensively. There’ve been some positive plays. The most important thing is just working to get better and move forward and do everything we can to play better team defense. I don’t think it’s necessarily about any one position or player. It’s about the entire unit performing well.”

smanza@projo.com