Pats Pulpit
New England Patriots cornerback Carlton Davis has not been a regular on the practice fields this summer.
After opening training camp on the non-football injury list, Davis was activated and on the field for the first day of camp. But since, the Patriots’ high-profile offseason addition has participated in just a pair of walkthroughs as he continues to work back from injury.
While the 28-year-old would not share what caused him to land on the NFI list, Davis has seen his activity ramp up in recent weeks. That included taking part in his first non-walkthrough practice of the summer on Sunday before being on the field for team drills with the Vikings in Minnesota.
“It just keeps better,” Davis said on Wednesday. “I’m good. Physically, I’m just the taking it by day-by-day, just trying to make sure that I’m not having any setbacks and that I’m just going forward with my progress. So, I was out there today during a team period. Hopefully tomorrow, and I do a little bit more, and just keep it steady so I’m ready for Week one.
Davis, who signed a three-year, $60 million contract with the Patriots in free agency this offseason, is confident he’ll be out on the field when New England opens their season against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 7.
“Hell yeah. I’m ready to play right now,” he responded when questioned about his Week 1 availability. “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. So we’re just being smart about it and we are just going through the process and going through the progress.”
In addition to Davis, New England has seen their cornerback depth take a handful of hits due to injury this summer. Fellow top cornerback Christian Gonzalez has not practiced since the first week of training camp due to a hamstring injury, while camp riser D.J. James is now sidelined and Marcellas Dial Jr. was lost for the season due to a torn ACL.
With Davis now increasing his level of participation, the reps will be important as the secondary continues to come together ahead of the season opener.
“I want to be out there first hand. I want to be able to show them who they got and I want to earn their respect and earn a role on the team,” Davis said. “That’s huge [to get reps this summer] because it gives them confidence when they feel a presence like my. So, when I’m out there and locking it up and I’m doing what I do best, I feel like I can give everybody a little more [confidence] in their play.
“And then playing together, learning guys, their playing styles and what they like to do and how we like to communicate and all that plays a part and having a good defense. So, it’s very important.”
