Patriots' Christian Gonzalez: Able to suit up Week 6
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Gonzalez (hamstring) is active for Sunday's matchup versus New Orleans.
Gonzalez dealt with a hamstring injury at the end of the week and was deemed questionable on Friday's final injury report. He's ultimately going to play against the Saints, which is a big sigh of relief for the Patriots given Gonzalez's role as one of the league's top cornerbacks. Gonzalez's ability to suit up Sunday is also significant because he missed the first three weeks of the campaign while dealing with a possibly related hamstring issue.
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Patriots' Christian Gonzalez: Questionable for Sunday
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Gonzalez (hamstring) is listed as questionable ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Saints, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.
The third-year corner from Oregon popped up on the Patriots' injury report Thursday as a limited practice participant due to a hamstring issue. Head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters Friday that New England will continue to monitor Gonzalez and likely make a decision on his availability 90 minutes prior to kickoff, making him a true game-time decision, per Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald. Gonzalez has been one of the best cornerbacks in football since entering the league, and he's recorded nine total tackles and one pass defended across just two contests this season. If he's forced to miss the Week 6 matchup, Alex Austin is expected to start opposite Carlton Davis in the Patriots' secondary.
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Patriots' Christian Gonzalez: Pops up as limited participant
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Gonzalez (hamstring) was limited in Thursday's practice.
Gonzalez wasn't listed with any injury designation on Wednesday's report, so he appears to have sustained his current hamstring issue during practice. That said, it was a hamstring injury that forced him to miss New England's first three games of the regular season, so it's possible that he's either suffered a setback or is having his reps capped. Gonzalez said after practice Wednesday that Sunday's contest against the Saints "will be a good test," Mark Daniels of MassLive reports.
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Patriots' Christian Gonzalez: Ruled out again
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Gonzalez (hamstring) has been ruled out for New England's matchup versus the Steelers on Sunday.
Gonzalez is now set to miss a third straight game, as he's yet to make his season debut. Alex Austin will serve as one of the team's starting cornerbacks once again, and Gonzalez will look to be good to go for the team's Week 4 matchup versus the Panthers.
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Patriots' Christian Gonzalez: Listed as questionable
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Gonzalez (hamstring) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Steelers, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.
Gonzalez returned to practice this week for the first time since injuring his hamstring in late July, but it's unclear if he's had enough time to build up to game shape. If Gonzalez isn't able to play against Pittsburgh, a Week 4 return against the Panthers seems likely.
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Patriots' Christian Gonzalez: Returns to practice
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Gonzalez (hamstring) will practice Wednesday, Mark Daniels of MassLive.com reports.
Gonzalez hasn't practiced since sustaining a hamstring injury in late July, but it now appears he could be nearing a return to in-game action. The Oregon product was one of the NFL's top outside corners in 2024, recording 59 total tackles and 11 passes defended, including two interceptions, over 16 regular-season contests. His practice participation Thursday and Friday will likely be the best indicator of whether he can suit up for New England's Week 3 matchup against the Steelers.
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Patriots' Christian Gonzalez: Out again for Week 2
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Gonzalez (hamstring) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.
Gonzalez was injured in the early days of training camp and has now been sidelined for more than six weeks to this point. His absence is a boost for Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle this Sunday.
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Patriots' Christian Gonzalez: Remains sidelined Thursday
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Gonzalez (hamstring) remained sidelined at practice Thursday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Gonzalez could be trending toward a Week 1 absence against the Raiders unless he practices in some capacity Friday. If New England's top cornerback is unavailable Sunday, Alex Austin, Marcus Jones and DJ James would be the top candidates to draw the start on the outside opposite Carlton Davis.
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Patriots' Christian Gonzalez: Misses another practice
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Gonzalez (hamstring) did not participate in Thursday's practice, Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reports.
Gonzalez has not participated in practice since suffering a hamstring injury in late July. A return to practice next week would be a step in the right direction for the 2023 first-rounder, but he would likely need to log multiple practices to have a shot at being ready for Week 1 against the Raiders on Sunday, Sept. 7. Charles Woods, Alex Austin and Marcus Jones would be the top candidates to start at outside corner opposite Carlton Davis if Gonzalez is not available for the Patriots' regular-season opener.
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Patriots' Christian Gonzalez: Ruled out for exhibition finale
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Coach Mike Vrabel said Monday that Gonzalez (hamstring) will not practice this week and has been ruled out for Thursday's preseason finale against the Giants, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Gonzalez has essentially missed the entirety of training camp and the preseason after going down in one of the team's initial camp practices last month. The Patriots' No. 1 cover corner has a little less than three weeks to get ready for Week 1 against the Raiders on Sept. 7.
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Patriots' Christian Gonzalez: Won't practice this week
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Gonzalez (leg) will not participate in practice this week, Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald reports.
Gonzalez doesn't appear a candidate to retake the field in time to play Saturday, Aug. 16 against the Vikings, which will be New England's second preseason game. If that's the case, his final chance to log preseason action will come Thursday, Aug. 21 against the Giants. The 2023 first-round pick is recovering from a left leg injury sustained earlier in training camp.
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Patriots' Christian Gonzalez: Likely out until next week
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Head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters Wednesday that he expects Gonzalez (leg) to be out of practice for the rest of the week, Zack Cox of the Boston Herald reports.
Gonzalez is set to be limited to sideline work with trainers for the rest of the week while recovering from a left leg injury that he suffered during Monday's training camp practice. That does put the 2023 first-rounder on track to be healthy for the Patriots' preseason opener against the Commanders on Aug. 8, though it's unclear how many snaps he will play. In Gonzalez's absence, Alex Austin, Marcellas Dial and Marcus Jones should see more work at outside outside corner with the first-team defense.
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Patriots' Christian Gonzalez: Doesn't practice Tuesday
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Gonzalez (leg) did not participate in Tuesday's training camp practice, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Gonzalez was held out of Tuesday's session after injuring his left leg during team drills Monday. He was spotted near the end of Tuesday's practice with a compression sleeve on his leg, and the Patriots are treating the injury as "day-to-day," per Karen Guregian of MassLive.com. Gonzalez's absence gives Marcus Jones, Alex Austin and Marcellas Dial the opportunity to get more reps at outside corner with the first-team defense.
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Patriots' Christian Gonzalez: Logs DNP on Wednesday
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Gonzalez (concussion) didn't practice Wednesday.
Gonzalez sustained a concussion in the second quarter of New England's Week 17 loss the Chargers, so Wednesday's DNP comes as no surprise. The second-year corner from Oregon likely needs to upgrade to at least limited practice participation Thursday or Friday in order to play in the Patriots' regular-season finale against the Bills on Sunday. If Gonzalez is unable to clear the NFL's five-step concussion protocol in time to play in Week 18, Alex Austin will likely see additional snaps with New England's first-team defense.
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Patriots' Christian Gonzalez: Will not return
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Gonzalez will not return to Saturday's game versus the Chargers due to a concussion.
The injury occurred during the second quarter of Saturday's contest. Gonzalez recorded one solo tackle before exiting. In his absence, Alex Austin figures to be next in line at cornerback opposite Jonathan Jones, while Marcellas Dial could also see increased snaps.
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Patriots' Christian Gonzalez: Limited in practice
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Gonzalez (shoulder) was limited in Wednesday's practice, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.
Gonzalez was dealing with a hip injury ahead of the Patriots' Week 14 bye, so this appears to be a new injury for the team's top cornerback. He'll have two more practice days to get in some reps ahead of Sunday's date with Marvin Harrison and the Cardinals.
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Patriots' Christian Gonzalez: Returns to field
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Gonzalez (shoulder) practiced during OTAs on Monday, Mike Dussault of the Patriots' official site reports.
Gonzalez suffered a season-ending torn labrum in Week 4 against the Cowboys last season and was originally uncertain for OTAs. However, the second-year-pro appeared to be a full participant, which is good news for New England's secondary.
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Patriots' Christian Gonzalez: Recovering well, unsure for OTAs
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Gonzalez (shoulder) said Tuesday he feels "healthy" but is unsure how much he'll participate in OTAs, Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reports.
Gonzalez, a 2023 first-round pick, had a strong start to his career before suffering a season-ending right torn labrum in just Week 4. Per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, Gonzalez is still rehabbing and focusing on strengthening his shoulder, so it sounds like he may be a limited participant at best when OTAs kick off May 20. Barring any setbacks, there are no concerns about Gonzalez gaining full medical clearance in advance of the 2024 regular season, and returning to a starting role at cornerback.
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Patriots' Christian Gonzalez: Likely done for season
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Gonzalez will undergo surgery in the near future to address the torn labrum and dislocated right shoulder he sustained in Sunday's loss to the Cowboys and is likely to miss the remainder of the season, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Gonzalez's expected long-term absence is a brutal loss for the Patriots, as the No. 17 overall pick in April's draft had already gotten off to a strong start to his career with 17 tackles, one sack, three pass breakups and an interception through his first four games. In the coming days, Gonzalez will likely become the fourth Patriots cornerback to hit injured reserve, joining Marcus Jones (shoulder), Jack Jones (hamstring) and Isaiah Bolden (concussion). To address their depleted depth in the secondary, the Patriots struck a deal with the Chargers on Wednesday to acquire veteran J.C. Jackson, who recorded 25 interceptions with New England from 2018 through 2021 but struggled during his one-plus seasons in Los Angeles.
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Patriots' Christian Gonzalez: Suffers shoulder injury Sunday
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Gonzalez is questionable to return to Sunday's game against Dallas due to a shoulder injury.
Gonzalez recorded one tackle before leaving the game. Jonathan Jones (ankle) is inactive, so New England has only three healthy cornerbacks if Gonzalez can't return. Jalen Mills, Shaun Wade and Myles Bryant are all candidates for increased snaps.
