Christian Gonzalez is back. Kind of.
The Patriots cornerback was on the field Wednesday for the media-access portion of practice, per videos from reporters who attended the session. Gonzalez’s participation status won’t be known until New England releases its first Week 3 injury report, but it is fair to assume he’ll be listed as a limited participant.
Arguably the best player on the Patriots, Gonzalez had been sidelined since suffering a hamstring injury early in training camp. Initial reporting indicated the third-year pro would be ready for Week 1, but Gonzalez wound up missing over a month of practice.
It remains to be seen whether Gonzalez will play Sunday when the Patriots host the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium. However, given how easy it is to reaggravate hamstring injuries, New England likely will exercise extreme caution with its top cornerback.
Story continues below advertisement
That said, Gonzalez can’t return fast enough for a defense that allowed 677 combined passing yards over the first two weeks. The Patriots suffered a home loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in their season opener but rebounded with a road win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 2.
