Patriots star cornerback Christian Gonzalzed has not participated in Patriots practices for the past two weeks, after suffering an unknown injury in practice a day before the Colts arrived in Foxboro for a joint practice session.
Despite that sudden absence taking place amid ongoing contract negotiations with the team, head coach Mike Vrabel has insisted that Gonzalez is hurt and will return when healthy. Outide of that, there has not been much in the way of any update on anything going on with Gonzalez.
Yet on Saturday night, Patriots executive VP of player personnel Eliot Wolf was interviewed by the McCourty twins during halftime on the team’s preseason telecast, and he was asked if the Devon Witherspoon contract in Seattle impacts Gonzalez’s negotiations in New England.
“Yeah, I mean, each side is trying to do what’s right for them,” Wolf answered. “Obviously, Christian’s a tremendous player. We’ve been on record multiple times saying we want him to be here, and that hasn’t changed. So we’re going to continue working with his representation to try to get something done.”
To the credit of both sides, virtually no information about the negotiations has leaked to the public — outside of team owner Robert Kraft’s proclamation at the start of camp. So it remains difficult to discern exactly where things stand, especially considering most NFL insiders anticipated Gonzalez’s contract would come together quickly after Witherspoon signed.
Wherever those negotiations may currently stand, Wolf indicated that they remain ongoing.
Crowded WR room a “good problem to have”
The second-most popular topic in New England this summer has been the logjam at wide receiver. With the trade for A.J. Brown and the signing of Romeo Doubs, a room that also includes Pop Douglas, Mack Hollins, Kayshon Boutte, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism is notably crowded.
Even though it’s unclear if the Patriots will be able to carry all seven of those players on the 53-man roster, Wolf described the situation as a “good problem to have.”
“I think it’s funny to listen to it, because a couple of years ago, everyone was saying that we didn’t have anything. And now they say we have too many,” Wolf said. “So I think it’s a good problem to have. The thing I really like about the group, obviously we have a bunch of good players, but they all complement each other really well. So we have a lot of different — you guys know Josh [McDaniels’] offense. It’s pretty nuanced and there’s a lot of different roles. So we have guys that can fill out those roles, and we’re excited about what they’re gonna bring to us this year.”
Unclear answer on Kayshon Boutte trade talks
Considering that glut of receivers on the roster, the trade talk in the media regarding Kayshon Boutte has been inescapable. Boutte’s entering the final year of his rookie deal and stands to be the odd man out with the aforementioned additions of Brown and Doubs.
Wolf was asked if the team is discussing any Boutte trade but only stated that he likes to keep clear communication with players on the roster.
“Yeah, there’s always communication. We like to be up front with the players,” he said. “That’s something that’s important to Coach Vrabel and I and the whole staff. So, definitely try to be up front with those guys about the situation and control what you can control.”
Eagles’ roster remains an aspiration of New England
The Patriots went toe to toe with the Eagles in two joint practices this week and held their own, which is a testament to how quickly the front office turned around one of the league’s worst rosters from a few years ago. Still, when it comes to building an entire 53-man roster, Wolf pointed to the Eagles as a team that’s been doing it well for years.
“We like what we’ve built. We have a lot of work to do,” Wolf said. “Obviously, Philadelphia has had a lot of good drafts in a row here and you know you can see their backup defensive line, backup offensive line, is somewhere we’d like to get to. But certainly going to be a competitive team this year, and we’re excited about what we’re going to bring.”
