EAGAN, Minn. – Among the biggest mysteries in training camp, Carlton Davis has rarely been a full participant this summer while he works his way back from an unknown injury.
On Wednesday, the veteran cornerback didn’t take part in the team stretch or during individual drills in the Patriots joint practice with Minnesota. However, Davis played during the full-team period as the Patriots’ starting cornerback.
After practice, Davis talked to the media for the first time since his introductory press conference in March. He said the team is being cautious and makes sure he progresses. The veteran cornerback also declared that he’ll be ready to start in Week 1.
“I’m dealing with something for sure, but I’m still ready to play right now. I don’t care what’s going on – if it was Week 1, I’d be playing,” Davis said. “We’re just being smart about it and we’re going through the process and going through the progress.”
The Patriots signed Davis to a 3-year, $60 million contract in free agency. The hope he’ll be a part of one of the best 1-2 combinations in the NFL with Christian Gonzalez. Both corners, however, haven’t been on the field as much as anyone would’ve hoped. Gonzalez is working his way back from a hamstring injury.
Davis wouldn’t say what his injury was. The 28-year-old started camp on the non-football injury list and took part in his first padded practice last week. Prior to that, he’d only practiced during three walkthroughs and one non-padded session.
“I’m good,” Davis said. “Physically, I’m just taking it day by day, trying to make sure I haven’t had any setbacks and that I’m just going forward with my progress. As you saw, I was out there today during the team period. Hopefully tomorrow, do a little bit more and keep it steady so I’m ready for Week 1”.
Davis said he’s a big believer in what Mike Vrabel is building. The cornerback noted he thought the defense played well on Wednesday and talked about how much it hurt to not practice as much this summer.
“I’m really excited for the new Patriots,” Davis said. “We’re meshing together all the guys we have coming in. Great football players and better teammates. I’m happy to go out there and take the field with them, and when I’m not there, it just sucks.
“It sucked pretty bad because when you come to a team, you want to be able to display who you are rather than talk or watch film. I want to be out there in person. I want to be able to show who they got, and I want to be able to earn their respect and earn a role on the team.”
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
