Christian Gonzalez to miss Patriots’ season opener, Will Campbell questionable vs. Raiders
Gonzalez has been out since July 28th with a hamstring injury.
FOXBOROUGH – The Patriots will not have Christian Gonzalez available for Sunday’s season opener against the Raiders, coach Mike Vrabel told reporters on Friday afternoon.
Gonzalez has been out for more than a month with a hamstring injury. The third-year cornerback’s absence is not a surprise. He hasn’t practiced since July 28th.
Vrabel mentioned Alex Austin and Marcus Jones among the players who will see action during Gonzalez’s absence. Offseason signing Carlton Davis will also be in the mix, and training camp standout DJ James could see some action as well.
The Raiders are coming to town with a new head coach (Pete Carroll) and a new quarterback (Geno Smith) as they give this New England secondary its first test of the season.
Smith led the Seahawks to a Week 2 overtime win over the Patriots at Gillette Stadium last season, posting 327 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers on 33 of 44 passing.
The Patriots’ secondary will look quite different from the last time Smith saw them. Gonzalez is injured, Jabrill Peppers has been cut, Kyle Dugger has been benched, and Davis was on another team last year.
Vrabel also announced that rookie left tackle Will Campbell is questionable with an ankle injury. Campbell was a limited participant at practice on Friday.
Defensive tackle Christian Barmore has been limited during the past two practices. The Patriots did not list his status on the injury report. They did mention that the limits on Barmore’s practice availability were not related to an injury.
Cornerback Charles Woods (groin) and wide receiver Efton Chism III (knee) were both full participants at Friday’s practice.
The Patriots will kick off the action against the Raiders on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.
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