The New England Patriots have ruled out six players for their upcoming Week 5 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, and four of them are members of their cornerback group.
Starters Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis will miss the competition with shoulder and neck injuries, respectively, as will backups Karon Prunty and Channing Canada, who are both dealing with hamstring issues. Needless to say, that leaves the team pretty thin heading into a matchup against one of the NFL’s most productive passing attacks so far this season.
So let’s reset the depth chart ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Kirk Cousins and the Raiders offense.
Squad of 53 players:
Christian Gonzalez (0),Carlton Davis III (7)Marcus Jones (25 | RP), Charles Woods (22),Channing Canada (29),Karon Prunty (21)Training team: Kindle Vildor (28), Al’zillion Hamilton (26)
As of Friday afternoon, the Patriots had just four healthy cornerbacks between their roster and practice squad. On the 53-man squad, Marcus Jones and Charles Woods are the only options remaining and should naturally see considerable playing time on Sunday.
That said, even they are not 100%. Woods, who was injured in last week’s win over the Buffalo Bills, is also on the injury report: He is questionable with a shoulder injury.
Given that, Kindle Vildor and recent addition Al’zillion Hamilton being elevated from the practice squad on Saturday seems like a foregone conclusion. Additionally, the team also began experimenting with safety Jaylen Reed as a nickel option in practice; he too could be taken into account next Sunday.
As things stand, however, the starting trio at cornerback will likely consist of Jones, Woods and Vildor.
Gn sports
