Among the stronger parts of the Patriots' roster in recent years has been their secondary, and that has continued since Bill Belichick selected Christian Gonzalez in the first round of the 2023 draft. Adding more help to the cornerback room was a priority this offseason to keep the roster in the upper echelon at the position by signing Carlton Davis to a lucrative contract.
The duo of Davis and Gonzalez created a lot of hype about how they could be one of the best of the shutdown corners in the league, and those further down the depth chart only made it seem more possible. The likes of Alex Austin and Marcus Jones made it comfortable to suggest that, even training camp star DJ James.
So that made it a bit shocking when James was released this week, even more so considering Gonzalez is yet to return from an injury he suffered at practice on July 28.
When asked about releasing DJ James, Mike Vrabel says they're going to give someone else the opportunity this week. Added there will continue to be roster turnover.
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) September 10, 2025
Considering how the secondary performed against the Raiders last week, allowing six completions of 20+ yards and four receivers ending the day averaging 20+ yards per reception, it didn't seem like an astute time to release anyone from the cornerback roster.
That's creating a lot of concern going into an expected tougher matchup against the Dolphins, as they have a stronger receiving corps than the Raiders.
The Patriots thinned out secondary could lead to big problems in Week 2
Knowing that the Patriots' cornerbacks will need to keep players like Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in check this week after failing to do so with Jakobi Meyers and Brock Bowers last week is concerning, to put it lightly.
There was hope that because Gonzalez showed up during the game to support his teammates, it could mean he was on his way back to the practice field. But that's not the case as of Thursday, and because he hasn't practiced in nearly seven weeks, it's beyond clear he won't be suiting up for Sunday's matchup.
That's what makes the timing of James' release more confusing. He might not have been the ultimate fix or lockdown the position the way Gonzalez would, but he looked great during training camp enough to make the roster, and yet they gave up on him after just one game.
Vrabel said they will be giving others a chance to fill his role, but fell short of saying who that would be or what led them to believe others would be better than James.
It's a concerning development going into a widely considered must-win game against a divisional opponent, and they certainly cannot afford to lose another winnable game. But the chances of the cornerbacks being more successful this week in shutting down Miami's pass catchers than they were last week seem far-fetched, and another loss could be imminent because of it.