New England Patriots - NESN.com
At this point, it would be shocking to see Christian Gonzalez play at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
The Patriots cornerback didn’t practice on Thursday due to a hamstring injury that has sidelined him since early in training camp, according to reporters who attended practice. Gonzalez also didn’t practice on Tuesday or Wednesday as New England began final preparations for its season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders.
“With CB Christian Gonzalez (hamstring) remaining out of practice, it puts his status for the opener in further doubt,” ESPN’s Mike Reiss wrote in an X post.
Perhaps Gonzalez will return for Friday’s practice and participate in Saturday’s walkthrough. But even if that were to happen, it’s hard to envision the Patriots thrusting him into game action after so much time off.
Veteran Carlton Davis III likely will slot in as New England’s top cornerback in the event Gonzalez doesn’t play against the Raiders. Alex Austin, Marcus Jones and D.J. James all would climb up the depth chart, with Austin the most natural fit to handle No. 2 cornerback duties.
The Patriots and Raiders are scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. ET. And, per the latest weather forecasts, fans can expect a comfortable afternoon in Foxboro, Mass.
