As legendary former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick entered what would turn out to be the last of his 24 seasons at the helm of the franchise he led to six Super Bowl victories, he came in with a reputation for poor drafting â or at least that he had lost his touch in the draft room over the previous half-decade.
With his first-round pick of the 2023 draft, Belichick went a long way toward reversing that reputation. The Patriots owned the No. 14 pick after finishing at 8-9 the previous season. Belichick then traded that pick down to No. 17, switching spots with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Top-Rated Corner Falls to Patriots
When the No. 17 pick came on the clock, Belichick was amazed to find that Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez was somehow still available. Rated the top player at his position in the draft, getting Gonzalez was quite a coup for Belichick â and he turned out to be the last first-round pick Belichick ever made.
Unfortunately, after three strong performances to open his rookie season, Gonzalez suffered a dislocated shoulder and torn labrum in a Week Four game against the Dallas Cowboys, ending his season.
Gonzalez made it through the 2024 season without any serious health concerns and became one of the few bright spots in the Patriots’ otherwise dismal 4-13 season. The 23-year-old earned his first Associated Press All-Pro honor.
New Injury Concern For Gonzalez
At that point, questions about the Texas native’s durability seemed to be answered. Until Monday.
The Patriots, under first-year head coach Mike Vrabel, held their first practice of training camp in full pads. During the 11-on-11 drill segment of the practice, Gonzalez suffered another injury and was forced to leave.
This time, the injury was to his left leg, according to reporter Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal.
“He appeared to get tangled up with Stefon Diggs on the first rep of 11-on-11s, limped off with the trainers, and then did not return to practice,” Bedard reported.
No Updates on All-Pro Corner’s Condition
Several hours passed but by 8:30 pm Eastern Time, the Patriots still has not released an update on the nature of the injury to Gonzalez, who “was visibly frustrated on the field, but was able to gingerly make it off on his own power,” according to a CBS Sports report. “He hobbled to the sideline alongside team trainers, sat down for a bit, and then went to the trainer’s tent and didn’t return to action.”
The Patriots were also without their other projected starting corner, Carlton Davis III, who was absent for the second time in the last three practice sessions. No explanation for Davis’s absence has been publicly announced.
Patriots Other Top Corner Missing From Practice
After Davis missed a practice on Thursday, Vrabel explained the absence as a “maintenance day” for the $60 million free agent signing.
Davis was also absent for OTA practices in May, though those sessions are not mandatory for all players to attend. However, according to longtime Patriots reporter Karen Guregian, “his absence, even during voluntary workouts, isnât a good look especially going to a new team, and being paid a fortune.”
With the severity of Gonzalez’s injury uncertain, and Davis’s situation unclear, the Patriots cornerback room suddenly appears to be in a degree of chaos. Second-year cornerback Marcellas Dial, a 2024 sixth-round pick out of South Carolina stepped up to take Gonzalez’s reps for the duration of Monday’s practice.
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