The New England Patriots’ secondary is trending toward another tense finish to the practice week.
Starting cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis III weren’t spotted during the media-access portion of Thursday’s practice, via MassLive’s Mark Daniels. Wide receiver Mack Hollins, fullback Reggie Gilliam and rookie cornerback Karon Prunty also were absent.
Rhamondre Stevenson, Morgan Moses and Channing Canada are here
The development is especially notable because Gonzalez and Davis also didn’t participate Wednesday.
Gonzalez is dealing with a shoulder injury that kept him out of New England’s 29-26 win over the Buffalo Bills, while Davis is listed with a neck injury, per the Patriots’ official Wednesday injury report.
Together, the Patriots have $189 million tied to their two outside starters. Gonzalez signed a four-year, $135 million extension in September, while Davis is in the second season of a three-year, $54 million deal.
No official game designation has surfaced for Sunday’s matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Patriots Could Be Thin at Cornerback Against Brock Bowers
Going this close to the game without practicing is worrisome because the Raiders feature one of the NFL’s most difficult coverage assignments in Brock Bowers.
Patriots.com highlighted Bowers as one of the central challenges of the matchup, noting that New England could consider using a cornerback against him because of how frequently Las Vegas deploys him away from a traditional in-line tight end alignment.
Head coach Mike Vrabel described Bowers as functioning much like a receiver because of his speed, route running and ability at the catch point.
Bowers has 16 receptions on 25 targets for 202 yards and two touchdowns since returning from a knee injury. Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins has also thrown 11 touchdown passes through four games, tied for the league lead.
Gonzalez has now been absent from five consecutive practice sessions dating to last week. He played through the shoulder issue against Jacksonville before sitting out the Buffalo game. Davis, meanwhile, played all 59 defensive snaps against the Bills after previously missing New England’s Week 2 win over Pittsburgh with a neck injury.
The Patriots survived without Gonzalez in Buffalo. Doing so again while potentially losing Davis would force another reshuffling.
Patriots Get Some Better News From Injured Depth
There were at least a few decent signs Thursday.
Rhamondre Stevenson, offensive tackle Morgan Moses and rookie cornerback Channing Canada were present at practice, Daniels reported. All three were limited Wednesday, with Stevenson nursing a knee injury, Moses dealing with a foot issue and Canada working through a hamstring injury.
Canada’s presence is hugely important because New England’s cornerback room has struggled with injuries. Prunty missed Wednesday with a hamstring injury and was absent again Thursday. Charles Woods suffered a shoulder injury against Buffalo that limited him Wednesday.
Woods started in place of Gonzalez last week before leaving in the fourth quarter. The Patriots also elevated veteran Kindle Vildor from the practice squad for the Bills game, and he contributed two tackles, including one for a loss.
New England has shown it can patch together the position for a week. The concern is how many patches it may need against a Raiders passing game spearheaded by Cousins and Bowers.
Friday’s practice and final injury report should provide the what the real status is on the $189 million cornerback tandem back.
Patriots’ $189 Million CB Duo Absent Again Ahead of Raiders Game