WALES prop Leon Brown is in line to make his first appearance of the season when the Dragons return to action in the United Rugby Championship.
The tighthead missed the first block of fixtures because of nerve issues following a 'stinger' suffered on Test duty in the summer.
The 25-year-old from Newport has returned to full training and is likely to play against Edinburgh at Rodney Parade on Saturday (kick-off 5.15pm).
Brown could start against the Scots or he could be given a half-hour blast off the bench as the Dragons hunt their second win of the campaign.
It is a huge boost to have the 20-times capped front rower back to provide his trademark dynamism around the park, while his set piece game has improved in recent years.
Summer signing Mesake Doge has impressed in Brown's absence and went straight from a heavy workload with his club to international duty with Fiji.
He started against Wales in Cardiff and against Georgia in Spain last Saturday, so the Dragons could opt to go with 23-year-old Chris Coleman along with Brown.
With Lloyd Fairbrother set to miss the majority of the season with a ruptured Achilles, the other tighthead option in the squad is 35-year-old former Wales prop Aaron Jarvis, who hasn't played yet this season.
The Dragons could also hand a return to former Wales and Lions centre Jamie Roberts, who had a minor knee operation after featuring in pre-season.
The 35-year-old has also been back in full training along with fellow midfield men Aneurin Owen, Jack Dixon and Adam Warren.
The Dragons name their team at midday on Friday with Wales back rowers Taine Basham and Aaron Wainwright unlikely to feature after a heavy workload in the autumn.
They have allowed Aki Seiuli to play for Samoa against the Barbarians rather than face Edinburgh, a decision likely to lead to Greg Bateman and Josh Reynolds sharing the action at loosehead.
The Dragons endured a frustrating first block of fixtures in the URC with an excellent win against Connacht in Galway in the middle of defeats to the Ospreys, Leinster, the Stormers and Cardiff.
The last four clashes with Edinburgh have been home wins with Ryan's men taking the spoils at Principality Stadium last season when they raced into a 24-5 lead at the break but had to hang on for a 24-17 triumph.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here