The first public OTA practice for the Patriots almost felt like a national event for New England fans, as getting a first look at what the 2026 team might look like after a shocking Super Bowl run had most hanging on the edge of their seats.
Although they're already being counted out and overlooked, they have made some solid moves to improve the team and up their chances of repeating last season's luck.
Because of that, there were a lot of eyes on last week's practice, maybe even more so on the players who were not present. Seeing that cornerback Christian Gonzalez was absent brought on concerns, since he is up for a massive contract extension.
But perhaps more interesting was seeing one of his teammates not there, and for some reason, that's going widely unnoticed.
Linebacker Harold Landry III was a name that stood out on the list of absences for very different reasons than Gonzalez. And although it might not be as concerning given the circumstances, it is certainly still something to monitor throughout the summer.
Another defender's absence from OTAs could become a major problem for the Patriots
The 2025 captain was one of the most intriguing free agency signings of the 2025 offseason, especially since most believed the only reason he was brought in was because of his prior connection to coach Mike Vrabel.
While that might be part of it, he quickly proved why the Patriots were interested in signing him with his production, and he went on to make his presence known on game day and eventually led the team in sacks by the end of the season.
Amid all of that, he dealt with an injury that seemingly slowed him down, and he was rumored to need surgery this offseason. That ultimately led to it being done, but his absence from OTAs has many wondering if he's not healing from his injury as quickly as he thought.
Vrabel shared a positive update on his status last month, albeit without many details, which were the first we heard since the end of the season. And although that was good to hear, his absence from OTAs leaves enough room to speculate about his rehab.
Perhaps it's best not to get too worked up over this until we know definitively whether it's injury-related or not. It's easy to speculate, especially when it could be something bad, but it might not be worth worrying about.
However, it's something to keep in mind with OTAs nearing its end and training camp right around the corner.
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