It's always devastating when a player suffers an injury in the offseason/during training camp, and unfortunately, the Patriots have had to deal with that several times so far. The latest occurred earlier this week when second-year cornerback Marcellas Dial left practice on the cart after appearing to injure his knee.
No update had been provided until Tuesday morning when the Patriots announced that Dial had torn his ACL and therefore, ending his 2025 season.
Filed to ESPN: Patriots CB Marcellas Dial Jr., who was carted off the field Monday, tore his ACL, per league sources.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) August 5, 2025
Because they're already dealing with injuries to Christian Gonzalez, and Carlton Davis is just coming back after recovering from his, losing a depth piece like Dial puts the team in a precarious position ahead of the preseason.
They're going to need depth, even if some of the other players, like Alex Austin and Marcus Jones, have popped during practice, and there's an easy player they can sign that they won't have to worry about at all: Stephon Gilmore.
There's no reason for the Patriots not to sign Stephon Gilmore after Marcellas Dial's injury
If the new regime wants to ensure their secondary is in the best possible hands, there's no reason not to consider bringing in Gilmore. He had the best seasons of his career in New England, earning the honor of being named the Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, and has continued to thrive with every new team he has joined in the years since.
He has remained a starter for the Panthers, Colts, Cowboys, and Vikings, yet is looking for a new team for the 2025 season. Gilmore's age might be a factor in why teams aren't barging down his door to sign him, but that shouldn't deter the Patriots from bringing him home.
They cannot afford to have a lack of depth at a crucial position like cornerback, and Gilmore provides them the luxury of not having to worry about that at all, on top of being able to step up if anything were to happen to Gonzalez or Davis.
He has shown no sign of slowing down and has made it clear he would like to remain a starter, but there's a good chance he would reconsider if the Patriots called. Not to mention, he's previously stated his desire to return to New England before he retires, and this might be the last chance to make that happen.
The Patriots have the cap space to bring him in, and they now have a gaping hole on the depth chart with Dial out for the year. Gilmore can serve as a security blanket for the defense that has otherwise been lacking, making now the ideal time to consider bringing him in if a better option were available.