Gonzalez hasn’t been practicing for New England since late July, as he suffered a hamstring injury during training camp. That led to him missing the first two games of the season, and the Patriots’ pass defense has struggled as a result. In the wake of the big update on Gonzalez’s status, safety Jaylinn Hawkins could not stop saying how “excited” he was to see his teammate on the field. Without him, New England’s pass defense has struggled, as both Geno Smith and Tua Tagovailoa have thrown for over 300 yards against them to open the season. Gonzalez alone can’t cover everyone, but his presence would go a long way to helping the Patriots’ struggling pass defense.