Pats Pulpit
Missing yet another practice, it seems increasingly likely that cornerback Christian Gonzalez will not be able to participate in the New England Patriots’ season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. He is not the only starter facing injury questions three days ahead of that game, though: the team also added left tackle Will Campbell to its practice report on Thursday due to an ankle ailment.
Gonzalez and Campbell are among five Patriots listed, as a look at the latest report shows.
Gonzalez missing practice is nothing new. The Patriots’ number one cornerback, who was voted second-team All-Pro last season, hurt his hamstring early in training camp and has been out ever since. There was initial optimism that the ailment might be of the day-to-day variety, but the recovery process has seemingly not gone as smoothly as both team and player would have wanted. As a result, the 23-year-old is starting to look like a long shot to play this week.
Christian Barmore being added to the list as a limited participant does not appear to be a particular concern given the non-injury label attached to his name. The same cannot be said for first-round rookie Will Campbell, who popped up on Thursday with an ankle issue. The extent of the injury is not known at this point in time, but New England will need its left tackle as close to full strength as possible against a disruptive defensive line headlined by edge rushers Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce.
Whereas the Raiders’ injury report remained unchanged from Wednesday to Thursday, the Patriots did manage to upgrade one of their players. Cornerback Charles Woods went from limited to full participant, while also shedding the “concussion” label to now only be listed because of a groin injury.
The Patriots’ Week 1 matchup with the Raiders on Sunday, Sept. 7, is set to be kicked off at 1 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium.
