Harris (thigh) was absent from Thursday's practice due to a personal matter, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.
A thigh injury has prevented Harris from playing in the Patriots' last four games and rendered him a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, but New England is attributing his absence Thursday solely to the personal matter. If Harris returns to practice Friday, there's a good chance he'll be re-listed with the thigh issue, so he's not necessarily in the clear on the health front. Regardless, the Patriots will wait until the conclusion of Friday's practice before deciding whether Harris carries a designation into Sunday's game against the Dolphins.