Pats Pulpit
The New England Patriots will visit the Miami Dolphins without the top arrivals from the 2023 draft class.
Keion White and Christian Gonzalez have been ruled out for the AFC East opener. While the defensive end remained a non-participant for three consecutive practices due to an illness, the cornerback has yet to return since sustaining a hamstring injury in July.
Head coach Mike Vrabel confirmed both game designations during his final press conference of the work week.
Here’s the rest of the injury report ahead of Sunday’s 1 p.m. ET kickoff at Hard Rock Stadium.
White played 29 snaps off the defensive edges in Week 1 and had a hand in a pair of tackles. The former No. 46 overall pick is now set to miss his first game since his rookie year. That could lead to veteran outside linebacker Anfernee Jennings having a Sunday role after beginning 2025 as a healthy inactive. As for Gonzalez in the secondary, he is now set to miss his second in a row. The former No. 17 overall pick and reigning second-team All-Pro has been a non-participant since his hamstring injury arose during first padded practice of training camp.
In addition to ruling out four players, the Dolphins have officially listed two others as doubtful for the divisional meeting. Both Wright and Bonner were limited participants on Friday while managing respective knee and hamstring injuries.
Moses logged all 71 snaps for the offensive line last weekend against the Las Vegas Raiders. He returned for back-to-back practices after missing Wednesday’s work in Foxborough with a foot injury. Rookie seventh-rounder Marcus Bryant would be next up at right tackle in the event the 34-year-old is unable to go, per Vrabel, with 2024 starter Vederian Lowe providing a backup option. And at the off-ball linebacker level, Mapu also stands as questionable after being a partial participant in recent days because of a neck issue. The Sacramento State product handled 68.9 percent of the workload on special teams to begin September.
