The New England Patriots lost arguably their best player to an injury during Monday’s training camp practice. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez had to leave the session due to an apparent leg injury.
Gonzalez was covering wide receiver Stefon Diggs on a crossing during an early 11-on-11 rep when he seemingly tweaked his left leg. He gingerly walked to the medical shed adjacent to the practice fields accompanied by members of the Patriots’ training staff, and did not return to practice after his departure.
Gonzalez, 23, is the Patriots’ No. 1 cornerback and one of the best players in the NFL at his position. A first-round draft pick by the team in 2023, has appeared in a combined 20 games over his first two season in the league.
In 2024, he started all 16 games he appeared in and registered two interceptions as well as a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown. Gonzalez was later named second-team All-Pro and appeared on the NFL Top 100 list as the 84th best player in football as voted by his peers.
With Gonzalez leaving practice early and fellow starting cornerback Carlton Davis missing Monday’s session entirely, New England inserted Alex Austin and Marcus Jones as their primary outside cornerbacks. Davis, a free agency signing by the Patriots earlier this year, started training camp on the non-football injury list due to an undisclosed ailment. He was removed from the list before the first practice, but his participation has been uneven since.
In addition to Gonzalez, Davis, Jones and Austin, the Patriots also have several other cornerbacks under contract competing for backup spots on the roster. D.J. James, Miles Battle, Isaiah Bolden, Marcellas Dial Jr. as well as rookies Kobee Minor, Jordan Polk and Brandon Crossley round out the depth chart.
The Patriots will hold their next practice of training camp on Tuesday at 10:15 a.m. ET. Whether Gonzalez will be part of the action remains to be seen.
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