The New England Patriots were dealt some frightening news on Monday after star cornerback Christian Gonzalez had to leave practice early. According to Meghan Ottolini of WEEI, he was seen limping off the field after covering wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
The severity of the injury was not initially clear, but it comes at a difficult time, as these practices are vital for the team's preparation, with Week 1, scheduled for Sep.7 against the Las Vegas Raiders, quickly approaching.
Unfortunately, the entire scenario took a turn for the worse on Tuesday, as despite no reports of exact severity or injury, an update from Ottolini revealed that Gonzalez is absent from practice.
This, of course, means that whatever the cornerback sustained was serious enough for the Patriots to at least hold him off the field for an additional day of rest or more testing.
Losing valuable practice time for someone like Gonzalez is bad news as the third-year cornerback looks to build off the success from 2024, where he earned Second-Team All-Pro honors.
He may be entering just his third season in the NFL, but Gonzalez is someone who has quickly dealt with some serious injuries.
Most notably, he participated in just four games during his rookie season in 2023 after suffering a torn labrum and dislocated shoulder in the Patriots' Week 4 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Both of those injuries wound up requiring surgery and forced him to sit out for the rest of the season.
What only makes things worse for the Patriots is that Gonzalez is not the only cornerback dealing with an early injury. Just like Gonzalez, veteran cornerback Carlton Davis was also notably not in attendance for Tuesday's practice.
However, his absence has lasted much longer, as this is now his fourth missed practice since the Patriots began their training camp on July 22..
What makes things more concerning about Davis is that this is his first season with the Patriots after signing a three-year $54 million contract as a free agent.
Being down their top two cornerbacks only a week into practices is not how New England envisioned things to be going early on.
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