Stefon Diggs caught a beauty from Drake Maye in the first padded competitive series in training camp, but the same play carried the air of pyrrhic victory as the Patriots’ top defensive player, Christian Gonzelez, suffered a leg injury and left practice for good.
Is it too early, or is it time to worry about what was supposed to be the dynamic duo of “Gonzo” and blockbuster signing Carlton Davis III?
On paper, Gonzalez and Davis looked like the sole position group packing blue chip talent on the New England roster. Gonzalez was the lone Patriot to make the NFL’s Top 100 players list, clocking in at No. 84. Davis has proven his stuff against the likes of Joe Burrow and C.J. Stroud, picking off both quarterbacks in his time on the Buccaneers and Lions. The Patriots tossed him a bag of $54 million in free agency to play opposite Gonzalez and boast the sort of tandem Bill Belichick would envy.
But Davis’ practice attendance has been sporadic, at best, going back to organized team activities. Head coach Mike Vrabel categorized a day away from camp last week as “maintenance,” but with the 28-year-old coming off of a broken jaw in Week 15 last season that required surgery, his continued absence on the first day of padded practices is enough to cock an eyebrow.
Now, Gonzalez got hurt badly enough to disappear into the onsite training room and away from the field for the rest of the day. He looked like he gestured to his left hamstring when speaking with a trainer, but was able to walk off the field under his own power.
Gonzalez’s rookie season was cut short by a torn labrum injury in Week 4 back in 2023. His 59 solo tackles and two interceptions were one of the few bright spots in last year’s dismal season.
If the Patriots intend to leap out of the four-win pit they dug the last two seasons, these two guys have to be available. Alex Austin and Marcus Jones provide nice depth in the cornerback room, but they don’t pack the size, experience, and pure athleticism Gonzalez and Davis provide – and those are three qualities that have grown increasingly rare in the post-Brady era. Both players represent offseason success stories: Gonzalez is a player who was highly drafted by Belichick and has actually proven his worth for a future mega-contract. Davis is a free agent who was lured to Foxboro to work with Vrabel and rekindle the Patriot tradition of smothering and smack-talking secondaries.
But it’s all for naught if they can’t stay on the field.
Seeing the guys in pads is a reminder how connected every position group is on the team. While the corners are supposed to be a superior group, the island of misfit pass catchers truly benefit from going against the Patriots’ cream of the crop in tight red zone reps. (Side note: Diggs is excluded from the misfit pass catcher metaphor – he’s much more the Yukon Cornelius in this strained allegory).
“That’s obviously our two better cornerbacks,” receiver Kayshon Boutte said after Monday’s practice. “Just working with them every day to get better, that’s the guys you want outside on the perimeter, just getting better every day.”
Every day.
So yes, it’s early. It’s still July. The Patriots have their work cut out for them. They have the opportunity to be the second-best team in their division and set themselves up for a real comeback under Vrabel. But they need their best players healthy to do it, and that’s become an early question mark.