The New England Patriots are riding high after picking up their first signature win of the Drake Maye era. However, knocking off the NFL's last unbeaten squad doesn't come without sacrifice, which may come in the form of star cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
Gonzalez was reportedly "limited at best" in New England's second Week 6 practice, according to MassLive's Mark Daniels. The lack of participation is concerning for several reasons, but perhaps none more so than that the 2024 All-Pro recently returned from an extensive absence.
Daniels ponders whether Gonzalez, who's been dealing with a hamstring injury since late July, suffered a setback in New England's 23-20 win over the Buffalo Bills. That's the last thing Patriots fans want to hear, let alone prove true, though the context clues paint an ominous picture.
Christian Gonzalez pops back up on Patriots' injury report ahead of Week 6
Notably, Gonzalez wasn't on New England's Wednesday injury report. He also logged a 100 percent defensive snap share rate against the Bills just a few days before his reps monitored. Combine those tidbits with his well-chronicled soft tissue issue, and you get a troubling development brewing in Foxborough.
Perhaps the Pats are load managing Gonzalez as he continues ramping up, which is fair. He got hurt early in training camp and sat out the entire preseason before missing the team's first three regular-season contests. We wouldn't blame New England's medical staff for giving him some rest when given the chance.
Yet, seeing Gonzalez pop back up on the injury report with the same ailment that's bothered him since the summer is far from ideal. For whatever it's worth, Patriots cornerbacks coach Justin Hamilton suggested that Gonzalez's scaled-back participation was by design. New England's brain trust ostensibly has a plan, but what does that mean?
Given the latest news out of Foxborough, Gonzalez figures to carry a designation heading into New England's upcoming matchup with the New Orleans Saints. His status bears monitoring versus an offense that quietly boasts one of the league’s better wide receiver tandems in Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. Nevertheless, we can unofficially label the 2023 No. 17 overall pick highly questionable.
Will Gonzalez's health (or lack thereof) be a recurring problem all year? At what point do the Pats determine that rest is the best course of action? They need him at full strength to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2021.