New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots are gearing up for their Week 1 contest against the Las Vegas Raiders, and excitement for the start of the new season is high. Ahead of this game, though, there is some serious concern surrounding star cornerback Christian Gonzalez’s injury status.
Gonzalez picked up a hamstring injury during training camp in August, and he hasn’t been practicing since then. The team has been hoping he’d be healthy by the time Sunday rolls around, but it’s looking increasingly likely that won’t happen.
All eyes were on Gonzalez to see if he’d practice on Wednesday, as that would provide an indication of where he is with this status. Unfortunately for the team, he was the only player who did not practice, indicating that he very well may miss the Pats clash against the Raiders.
Elsewhere on the injury report, undrafted rookie wide receiver Efton Chism III was a full participant, indicating his knee injury won’t hold him out of Week 1. The only other player on the injury report was recently claimed cornerback Charles Woods, who was limited with a concussion and a groin injury.
Woods’ health would become particularly noteworthy if Gonzalez can’t play, as he’d be one of the top options to fill in for him at the boundary cornerback spot aside from Carlton Davis III. At this point, it seems like he has a better shot of playing than Gonzalez.
The silver lining is that Gonzalez still has two days of practice to get himself healthy, but the initial returns aren’t all that encouraging. The All-Pro cornerback’s status will be worth watching on Thursday and Friday, but as of right now, it looks like he’s trending towards not playing against Las Vegas.
