The New England Patriots have the Las Vegas Raiders coming into town on Sunday, and this week, they have been on the practice field putting in their final installs for the game.
CB Christian Gonzalez has been on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury, and he wasn't spotted during the media portion of Friday's practice, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss. Mike Vrabel later confirmed that Gonzalez won't suit up vs. the Raiders.
Now, the Patriots will be leaning on CB Carlton Davis a bit more in the season opener.
Patriots CB Carlton Davis Will Have More on His Plate Week 1
Back in March, these two sides agreed on a three-year, $60 million deal that featured $34.5 million guaranteed. They believe that he and Gonzalez will form a formidable duo on the outside, but with the young CB battling this injury, the vet will need to step up.
Las Vegas' WR room is Jakobi Meyers, Jack Bech, Tre Tucker, Dont'e Thornton Jr., and Justin Shorter.
Meyers is the best receiver of the bunch, but whoever lines up across from Davis, the Pats expect him to shut that player down. He will be New England's CB1, but the coaching staff clearly felt confident in his ability, as they gave him that contract this spring.
He's been in the NFL for seven years, logging 380 total tackles, 84 pass breakups, and 11 interceptions. Just last season with the Lions, Davis started 13 games for them and was an effective player. According to PFF, he had a 74.5 overall grade, 77.7 run-defense grade, and 72.1 coverage grade.
The Pats understand that he's a vet who has been there and done that before. That's a great asset to have for New England, but it is worrisome that Gonzalez still isn't back on the practice field. He has been nursing that hamstring injury since the beginning of training camp.
Those kinds of injuries take a while to heal, but you need to be 100% healthy to avoid suffering a setback upon returning. While it's better that he misses time in the offseason, the Pats are hoping that he can return to the field sooner rather than later.
Since the Oregon product has been hurt, Davis has been New England's CB1 this entire summer and that likely will be the case on Sunday against the Raiders.