Patriots activate key player following Christian Gonzalez’s IR designation
The New England Patriots have officially moved cornerback Christian Gonzalez to injured reserve following surgery on his torn labrum. In a subsequent move, they have also activated offensive lineman Riley Reiff to take up a 53-man roster spot, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss. The news of Gonzalez is not surprising following news early in the […]
The New England Patriots have officially moved cornerback Christian Gonzalez to injured reserve following surgery on his torn labrum. In a subsequent move, they have also activated offensive lineman Riley Reiff to take up a 53-man roster spot, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss.
The news of Gonzalez is not surprising following news early in the week regarding his impending surgery. The expectation is that he will miss the season, which comes as a huge blow for the recent rookie of the month. Gonzalez was making an early case for defensive rookie of the year, holding Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Devonta Smith, A.J Brown, and Garrett Wilson to a total of 147 yards across three games.
Riley Reiff was one of the team's bigger free-agent acquisitions and was the projected "bridge" at right tackle. It never worked out that way, though, as Reiff struggled through camp and was surpassed by other players. Reiff ended up kicking inside to guard and was playing well prior to injuring himself and missing the first quarter of the season. It'll be interesting to see if Reiff has a role or if the team will try to continue to develop the young guys.
The team is still awaiting word on receiver Tyquan Thornton and cornerback Jack Jones, both of whom are eligible to come off injured reserve and could be two potentially key pieces. Neither player was spotted at practice this week, and their status is currently unclear.
