FOXBORO - The New England Patriots could be short-handed again on the back end when they face the New York Jets in Week 6.
Cornerbacks Carlton Davis and Karon Prunty were both out of Friday’s third practice of the week, setting up a second straight week where the Patriots may have to piece together their secondary. Davis is dealing with a neck injury that already kept him out of the team’s Week 2 win, and he also missed last week’s game. Prunty is nursing a hamstring issue and has appeared in three games so far, mostly on special teams.
The absences weren’t exactly a shock. Both players also sat out the final three practices last week, and New England still found a way to get through its matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders. That game featured Marcus Jones, Charles Woods and Kindle Vildor at cornerback, and the group held up well enough to get the job done.
This week should bring some reinforcements. Christian Gonzalez and Channing Canada, both of whom sat out Week 5 with injuries, are back in the mix after missing last week’s game with shoulder and hamstring issues, respectively.
Vildor’s role could again be worth watching if Davis can’t go. Signed to the 53-man roster last weekend, he handled an expanded workload against the Raiders and drew praise from Mike Vrabel for his ability to keep playing through a mistake.
"He gets a PBU, gets a big punch out there, changes the momentum, helps us get the drive stopped," Mike Vrabel said this week on Vildor. "I think one of the coaches was talking and said, 'Well, he had a mental error on the play, but he also had an extra effort.'
"And so, I think that's really defines what we want our identity to be, is that the ability to have an error or a mistake, but also the ability to go finish, still impact the play and know that a mental error doesn't have to necessarily mean that the play is over or a mistake. It certainly doesn't limit our ability to finish."
At special teams, safeties Mike Brown and Jaylen Reed are expected to continue filling in for Prunty, just as they have in recent weeks. Defensive tackle Cory Durden also returned to practice Friday after missing Thursday because of illness.
The Patriots were already dealing with injury fallout from last Sunday’s game in Las Vegas, when Gonzalez was out and TreVeyon Henderson and Will Campbell both left mid-game. All three have been limited participants this week, and Gonzalez was bumped up to full participation on Thursday. That leaves the door open for Henderson and Campbell to play this week after both were in question earlier in the week.
"Guys are playing through stuff and that’s kind of the mentality," Drake Maye said this week on Campbell. "(Need) to be smart, but at the same time you wanna be out there with your guys. That’s an example of what Will is, and you go to battle with those guys."
The Patriots also designated wide receiver A.J. Brown to return from IR this week. He may not be activated for the Jets game, but getting him back on the practice field is still a positive sign for the offense.
Vrabel is scheduled to address the media after practice around 1 p.m., when he should have a clearer picture of the final injury report heading into Sunday.
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