When the New England Patriots returned to the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium on Wednesday, star cornerback Christian Gonzalez was again missing from action. Dealing with a hamstring injury suffered early in training camp, the third-year defender has now been out for over a month.
Despite his absence, however, head coach Mike Vrabel spoke positively about Gonzalez during a press conference on Wednesday. While he did not give any updates on the 23-year-old’s status heading into the Patriots’
upcoming season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders, he did praise him for his work behind the scenes.
“I do like where he’s at from an engagement standpoint,” Vrabel said about Gonzalez. “We’ve been through this with other players, and I like where he’s at from that standpoint. In the meetings, locked in, following along at practice, which is difficult. To think that a player that’s not in there can follow along, I’ve been through that as a player and a coach, and I think he’s done a nice job of being able to do that.”
After being named second-team All-Pro during his 2024 sophomore campaign, Gonzalez entered 2025 with high expectations. However, the Patriots’ top cornerback has been sidelined ever since he came up limping early during the team’s fourth practice of training camp.
While his hamstring injury was initially believed to be a day-to-day affair unlikely to impact his Week 1 availability, Gonzalez sitting out the Patriots’ game versus the Raiders looks like a realistic possibility at this point in time. Ultimately, though, that decision will be made by Vrabel.
For the Patriots’ first-year HC, it is not an easy one to make.
“When I try to make decisions about players and returning, one, can they make it worse?” Vrabel asked. “Can they, two, protect themselves? We can all say what we want about this game, but it’s violent, and can you protect yourself? And can you do your job up to the standard that we expect and that the player is used to? So, those are the things that I’ve tried to use when making decisions. Maybe I’ll add some to that, but that’s what I’ve tried to use in my other experience in this position.”
Where Gonzalez falls in that evaluation remains to be seen. Based on his lack of practice participation over the last month-plus, however, Vrabel might decide to keep him out against the Raiders and preserve him for what lies ahead.
