Vrabel, Patriots Forced to Make Contingency Plan on Defense for Opener in Seattle

Story by

Story by
Vrabel, Patriots Forced to Make Contingency Plan on Defense for Opener in Seattle

Hector Longo

Fri, September 4, 2026 at 4:45 PM UTC ·

2 min read

Seahawks present problems

Preparing a defense for Sam Darnold, Jaxon Smith Smith-Njigba and the Seahawks offense is a tall enough task. But doing it and not knowing whether or not you are going to have one of the top cornerbacks in the game is an entirely different challenge.

Head coach Mike Vrabel is clearly agitated when asked about the Pro Bowl corner's status.

New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez (0) heads to the practice fields for training camp at Gillette Stadium.Eric Canha-Imagn Images

"We have to prepare for everything to potentially happen, whether that is players' availability through multiple different reasons. So, we will have to be ready for a lot of things, and as we work here into Week 1 and the craziness of the National Football League and the journey that we are about to go on," said Vrabel.

"I think we want to try to be as ready and prepared for the football game as we possibly can. I think distractions come in a lot of different ways, and it is how we handle them, how we respond to them."

Keep a second plan handy

Vrabel basically admitted that an alternative plan is necessary in this situation for sure. He also had no comment on the contract talks and the progress, if any, that was being made.

"As I said a couple of days ago, as the head coach, I expect every player that is healthy and under contract to practice and to play. Again, that may change based on my conversations with different players and the plan that they have each and every day when you talk about practice or what the plan may be for the football game," Vrabel said.

"So that goes with this situation and anybody else who would fall underneath that, that is what our expectation is."

New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez (0) speaks to the media after practice at training campEric Canha-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect

Asked about playing in the rematch with Seattle, Gonzalez gave Fox-25 what could be construed as a veiled shot at the Patriots.

"That's a great team, a great organization," Gonzalez said. "They built pieces, they kept their team and did what they've done. I respect the organization and their players, and we look forward to it."

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Sep 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.