The New England Patriots held their first padded practice of the training camp, but it was cut short after cornerback Christian Gonzalez left the field early due to a lower body injury. Gonzalez, who suffered an apparent injury during the 11-on-11 portion of the practice, is believed to have pulled his hamstring. The injury occurred when he was matched up against Stefon Diggs.
With Gonzalez out, the Patriots’ cornerback depth took an early hit, and they had to rely on Alex Austin, Marcus Jones, and Marcellas Dial for coverage. Rookie left-tackle Will Campbell showed promise in his first padded practice, but he will face a stiff challenge from veteran Keion White this summer.
Campbell’s performance was not without its challenges, however. White was overpowering at times during 1-on-1 drills against Campbell, and the Patriots’ coaching staff will be watching closely to see how the rookie handles their top pass-rusher.
The offense made some big run plays during the practice, with quarterback Drake Maye having time to make plays in the red zone. Second-year receiver Ja’Lynn Polk returned to practice after missing the first four training camp practices and caught a touchdown pass from Maye.
Despite some growing pains, Maye appears to be having a good camp so far. He looks confident and has had little trouble hitting receivers all over the field. However, he will need to work on his accuracy with snaps, as he had another botched snap during practice.
The Patriots are entering training camp without longtime center David Andrews for the first time in a decade, but coach Mike Vrabel praised receiver DeMario Douglas for his hard work and leadership skills. Douglas has been working hard to improve his craft and become more of a vocal leader on the team.
Source: https://www.boston.com/sports/new-england-patriots/2025/07/28/christian-gonzalez-injury-patriots-training-camp-takeaways-analysis