FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots starting cornerback Christian Gonzalez won’t play in Sunday’s season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders due to a hamstring injury, head coach Mike Vrabel said Friday.
Gonzalez, who was a second-team All-Pro in 2024, sustained the injury in practice on July 28 while covering wide receiver Stefon Diggs on a crossing route. He pulled up, holding the back of his left leg, and hasn’t practiced since.
The Patriots entered 2025 with high hopes for a 1-2 cornerback combination of Gonzalez and veteran Carlton Davis III, whom they signed to a three-year, $54 million contract that includes $34.5 million in guarantees in March. Vrabel had joked that the Patriots’ plan was to play “cat coverage” with Gonzalez and Davis — “You got that cat, I got this cat, and we can go to work.”
Now Vrabel said the Patriots could be turning to Alex Austin, who has had to claw his way to this point since entering the NFL as a seventh-round draft choice of the Buffalo Bills in 2023 out of Oregon State. The 6-foot-1, 191-pound Austin, who was waived by the Bills at the end of 2023 training camp and then played in three games for the Texans, initially joined the Patriots in November of 2023.
He has since played in 17 games (four starts) in New England and has most recently been working as a top backup to Gonzalez, in addition to playing in the slot. Fourth-year pro Marcus Jones (31 games, 14 starts) and 2024 sixth-round draft pick DJ James (no career games) are other options for Vrabel and his staff to consider in Gonzalez’s place.
Gonzalez, a 2023 first-round draft pick out of Oregon, will be eligible for a contract extension for the first time after the 2025 season. He was limited to four games as a rookie after sustaining a torn labrum and dislocated right shoulder in Week 4 that season. Despite the injury, he had been named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for September.
In 2024, Gonzalez started the first 16 games of the season, and his individual performance was one of the highlights of a disappointing 4-13 season. He totaled 59 tackles, 11 passes defended and 2 interceptions, and also had a fumble recovery that he returned 63 yards for a touchdown. He missed the final game of the year due to a concussion, according to the team’s injury report.
Vrabel also said that starting left tackle Will Campbell, the first-round pick from LSU, is questionable for the game due to an ankle injury. Campbell was added to the injury report Thursday as a limited participant.
