The New England Patriots’ secondary took a hit on Friday, and the timing could hardly be worse with the Las Vegas Raiders coming to Foxborough on Sunday.
Christian Gonzalez is dealing with a shoulder injury, Carlton Davis III has a neck issue, and both Karon Prunty and Channing Canada are sidelined with hamstring injuries. With that many corners knocked out, the Patriots had to move quickly to patch together the back end of the defense.
New England responded by signing cornerback Kindle Vildor and safety Mike Brown to the 53-man roster, while also elevating safety Elliott Davison. The team also placed fullback Reggie Gilliam and wide receiver Mack Hollins on injured reserve, activated safety Brenden Schooler off the non-football injury list, and elevated linebacker K.J. Britt and Davison from the practice squad.
Before Vildor was added to the active roster, the Patriots had only two corners eligible for this week. Marcus Jones was active, while Charles Woods was listed as questionable with a shoulder injury. That left New England staring at a thin cornerback group heading into Week 5, and Vildor’s promotion now makes it likely the Patriots will carry three corners against Las Vegas.
Vildor has been one of the more notable preseason performers in the building this summer. The eighth-year veteran, now with his fifth NFL team, put together a strong preseason with 3 pass break-ups, 6 tackles, and an interception over three games.
Still, his path to the 53-man roster wasn’t straightforward. Many around the team were surprised when Channing Canada won the fifth cornerback job over Vildor after roster cuts.
A fifth-round pick out of Georgia Southern in the 2020 draft, Vildor has appeared in 81 games and has two interceptions in his career. Now he’s being asked to take on a far bigger role than anyone expected, and the assignment is a difficult one.
The Raiders arrive with one of the league’s more productive offenses, averaging 28.8 points per game, which ranks seventh in the NFL. Quarterback Kirk Cousins is tied with the 49ers’ Brock Purdy for the league lead with 11 touchdown passes, and he’ll be looking to Tre Tucker and Cody White this week with Jailen Nailor out because of a concussion.
The biggest test, though, may come from tight end Brock Bowers. At 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, he presents a size problem for a Patriots corner group that has no one taller than 5-foot-10 among the three corners not ruled out. That mismatch stands out as the most obvious challenge for New England’s battered secondary.
There is at least one reason for the Patriots to feel a little better about the matchup. Last week against the Buffalo Bills, their injured defensive backfield helped hold tight end Dalton Kincaid to one catch for seven yards.
Mike Brown’s promotion adds another layer to the puzzle. Signed earlier in the week, the 2026 free agent acquisition had already seen action in each of the previous two games against Jacksonville and Buffalo as a practice squad elevation. In his fifth NFL season, Brown now steps into a secondary that needs every available body.
Davison is also in line for a bigger opportunity. The second-year player, who went undrafted, will make his first regular-season appearance in the NFL after being elevated for Sunday’s game.
Friday’s injury report also listed Craig Woodson as questionable with a shoulder injury. Even with Kevin Byard, Woodson, and Jaylen Reed giving the safety group a relatively healthy look, the Patriots’ latest moves point to a defense that may need Brown, Davison, or another safety to spend time at cornerback, or at least in a hybrid role.
The Patriots and their defensive coordinator, Zak Kuhr, will try to hold up against Klint Kubiak’s Raiders at 1 p.m. Sunday.
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Mack Hollins has become a growing concern for the Patriots this week after missing consecutive practices with a calf injury, putting his status for Sunday against the Raiders in doubt. With A.J. Brown still on injured reserve, New Englands margin for error at receiver is getting thinner, and the team may need to lean harder on whatever options are available to keep the passing game functional.
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Patriots Secondary Suddenly Faces A Depth Test They Couldn't Avoid
The Patriots secondary is heading into Week 5 with plenty of uncertainty, and Charles Woods is part of the reason there is at least a little relief on the injury front. Woods had been listed questionable with a shoulder issue, but he has been cleared to play, giving New England one more body to work with as it prepares for the Raiders.
Even with that bit of good news, the picture remains thin. New England ruled out four cornerbacks and will be without Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis, along with backups Channing Canada and Karon Prunty, leaving the defense to patch together a depth chart against a Las Vegas group that wont have receiver Jalen Nailor but does have Ashton Jeanty available. [Read more 🡒]