Is it time to be worried about Christian Gonzalez’s hamstring injury?

Patriots

Gonzalez hasn’t practiced since the end of July and it’s been “difficult to pin down a timetable on his return.”

There’s a growing possibility that the Patriots could head into their season opener without their best defensive player.

Christian Gonzalez is still nursing a hamstring injury he suffered on New England’s first day of padded practices at the end of July. He hasn’t been able to practice since the injury occurred, and according to The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, his Week 1 status is currently uncertain.

Howe collected information on all 32 teams as Week 1 of the NFL season approaches, and when it came to the Patriots, he had this to say about Gonzalez:

“His hamstring injury has been a tricky one, and it’s been tough to pin down a timetable on his return.”

Former New England center David Andrews chimed in on X after the report, voicing his concern for Gonzalez’s availability.

“When do we start to worry about Christian Gonzalez for Week 1?,” Andrews wrote on X. “Hamstrings can be really tough and you definitely want him healthy cause you don’t want him to be out there for two weeks and the down another six but it’s a little concerning.”

As Andrews alluded, hamstring injuries have particularly lingering affects on NFL players, and coming back too soon can often do more harm than good. It’s been over a month since Gonzalez suffered the initial injury, and five weeks could be enough time for the second-team All-Pro to fully recover, but the risk of re-injury complicates matters.

New England added to its defensive back group this offseason, signing former Lions and Buccaneers standout corner Carlton Davis to pair alongside Gonzalez. So at least there are reinforcements to the group if Gonzalez is forced to miss Week 1.

Gonzalez wasn’t placed on injured reserve prior to roster cuts, which is a good sign that the team doesn’t view his injury affecting the longterm. If placed on IR, he would have missed the first four games of the season at minimum before being designated to return.

Next week’s practices will provide a better indicator if Gonzalez will ramp up to play or not, but there’s a chance that the Patriots take on the Raiders without the defensive stalwart.