Sportsnaut
Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season officially begins on Thursday night as the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles are set to face off in a divisional battle.
The Patriots will begin their season on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders. This game will be our first chance to see if the Patriots have actually improved as much as everybody seems to think they have this offseason. Unfortunately, it’s looking increasing likely that one of the best players on the team will not be able to play.
Star cornerback Christian Gonzalez has not practiced since suffering a hamstring injury over five weeks ago. At the time, it wasn’t expected to be serious, and many expected Gonzalez to be ready for Week 1. However, the corner has still not returned to practice, and he missed Thursday as well.
As Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald pointed out, this is a “strong indicator” that Gonzalez will not suit up for the opener Sunday.
On Wednesday, Gonzalez was the lone Patriot to not practice on Wednesday. Standout undrafted free agent wide receiver Efton Chism III and new cornerback Charles Woods were listed in the injury report alongside Gonzalez, but Chism was a full participant in practice and Woods was limited.
To be fair, Mike Vrabel spoke about Gonzalez on Wednesday and was unwilling to rule the star defender out for Sunday.
“No, I wouldn’t say that,” Vrabel said Wednesday when asked if Gonzalez was being ruled out. “He’s (Gonzalez) doing everything he can to get back onto the field. That’s the only update I have right now,” the coach added.
However, that was before Gonzalez sat out of Thursday’s practice, and once the team releases Thursday’s injury report we’ll have a better idea. Being without Gonzalez would leave Alex Austin, D.J. James, and Charles Woods as the options to start opposite Carlton Davis II.
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