The New England Patriots signed veteran cornerback Carlton Davis in free agency to be a top-level essential part of their defense; however, he hasn’t been on the field for much of the summer as he works his way back from an undisclosed injury.
It’s worth mentioning that Davis has a reputation for being injury-prone. He’s missed 30 games over his seven-year career, averaging four missed games in the last three seasons. That's not what the Patriots are looking for from their top cornerback as they’re reshaping their defensive identity.
Davis began his first offseason in New England on the non-football injury list, but he was lifted for the start of training camp. Since then, however, Davis has only taken part in two walkthrough sessions as he continues to recover from his injury.
On Wednesday in Minnesota for joint practices with the Vikings, Davis walked off the field around five minutes into warmups, according to Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston.
Carlton Davis just walked off the field about five minutes into warmups. Worth tracking his level of participation given the amount of time he’s missed in camp. pic.twitter.com/6HMLyW1Uxd
— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) August 13, 2025
Carlton Davis Expects to Be Ready for Patriots Season Opener
It was then reported by Mark Daniels of MassLive, that Davis played as the starting cornerback in the full team period, but he wasn’t included in the team stretch and during individual drills.
After practice, Davis addressed the situation to the media, saying that he’s dealing with an injury but that he’ll be ready for Week 1 when the Patriots will host the Raiders at Gillette Stadium.
“Hell yeah. I’m ready to play right now. I’m dealing with something for sure. But I’m still ready to play right now. I don’t care what’s going on, like if it’s Week 1, I’d be playing.”
The Patriots acquired Davis with the idea in mind to pair him with All-Pro corner Christian Gonzalez to create one of the best duos in the NFL. He signed a three-year, $60 million contract with New England, and they have high expectations for him to be on the field more often than not.
Davis isn’t too concerned with his playing status for Week 1 and says he’s taking things day by day and hasn’t had any setbacks.
“Physically, I’m just taking it day by day, trying to make sure I haven’t had any setbacks and that I’m just going forward with my progress. As you saw, I was out there today during team period. Hopefully tomorrow, do a little bit more and keep it steady so I’m ready for Week 1.”
Behind Davis and Gonzalez, New England’s depth includes Marcus Jones, DJ James, Alex Austin, Miles Battle, Isaiah Bolden, Brandon Crossley, Tre Avery, Jordan Polk, and Kobee Minor.
The Patriots need both Davis and Gonzalez to be healthy and on the field as much as possible this season.