The New England Patriots haven’t had their All-Pro cornerback Christian Gonzalez on the field for over a month now, with Week 1 only days away.
Gonzalez hasn’t practiced since July 28, when he suffered a hamstring injury. He hasn’t taken part in any of the walkthroughs or had any work with pads on since the injury occurred over five weeks ago at practice.
Christian Gonzalez Will Likely Miss Week 1 Despite Mike Vrabel Refusing to Rule Him Out
At this point, it seems hard to believe that Gonzalez will be available for Week 1, but head coach Mike Vrabel hasn’t ruled him out despite not practicing in over five weeks.
“I wouldn’t say that. He’s continuing to work and he’ll do stuff on the side, but I’m not going to rule anybody out. … we’ll continue to work and treat and make sure we’re doing everything we can to help him and he’s doing everything he can to get back out on the field.”
The Patriots started the offseason with arguably the best secondary in the NFL, with Gonzalez and Carlton Davis on the corners and with Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers behind them at safety.
As the offseason progressed, however, it was reported that the team was shopping Dugger, and then after the 53-man roster was finalized, it was Peppers who was suddenly released.
It’s also worth noting that Davis managed an injury throughout the offseason, but his status for Week 1 doesn’t seem to be a concern. So if Gonzalez isn’t going to be available, who will step up in his place?
The depth corners on the roster are DJ James and Alex Austin, with Marcus Jones and Charles Woods as the slot corners. Both Austin and James are the taller options, which is the quality that Vrabel wants in his defensive backs.
Although there isn’t a minimum amount of practice requirements in a week in order to play in a game, it wouldn’t be wise for the Patriots to have Gonzalez suit up without him practicing for over a month.
This could be Vrabel not wanting to tip his cap on what his game plan is with or without Gonzalez, but he might just wait for gameday when teams need to submit their inactive lists ahead of kickoff on Sunday.
If Gonzalez isn’t available, expect Austin to get the starting nod with James right behind him.