Christian

Gonzalez

Gonzalez said his shoulder injury is in the past but couldn’t give a definitive timeline for his return to practice. The first-round corner got off to a hot start as a rookie before suffering a torn Labrum in Week 4 against the Cowboys. Through four weeks, Gonzalez had one pick, three pass breakups, and a sack. Barring a setback, Gonzalez should get to participate in the bulk of the Patriots’ offseason program.

Gonzalez tore his labrum and injured his shoulder in the team’s Week 4 loss to the Cowboys and will miss the rest of his rookie campaign. It’s a devastating loss for New England’s struggling defense, which has allowed the tenth highest completion rate (68 percent) to opposing quarterbacks through Week 4. The Patriots acquired J.C. Jackson from the Chargers to fill in for Gonzalez. Last year, Jackson was graded by PFF as the NFL’s worst cover corner.

Gonzalez exited Week 4’s contest against the Cowboys with a shoulder injury and didn’t return to the game. We don’t yet know the exact nature of his injury or the severity of it, but according to Schefter, Gonzalez is seeking a second opinion on his injury. Gonzalez earned Defensive Player of the Month honors last weekend, and stood tall against stout group of receivers through his first three games. The loss of the promising young rookie is one of two blows the Patriots were dealt on Sunday, with Matthew Judon (biceps) also out indefinitely.

We don’t know much about Gonzalez’s injury other than he landed awkwardly on his right shoulder while making a tackle and was immediately taken to the blue tent. We’ll likely know more after the game, but his status will be one to watch heading into Week 5 against the 49ers.

Gonzalez was named Defensive Rookie of the Month over the weekend, but is now dealing with a shoulder injury after landing awkwardly on a tackle in the first quarter. Gonzalez left the field under his own power but was later seen walking to the locker room. On the ensuing play, cornerback Marcus Bryant, who was brought on to replace Gonzalez, immediately gave up a touchdown to CeeDee Lamb.

The deal comes with a fifth-year option for 2027. New England landed a No. 1 corner and one of the Combine’s top performers in Gonzalez, a three-year Pac-12 starter with 99th% RAS. The No. 17 pick repped with the Patriots’ first-team defense at OTAs and is expected to start Week 1 opposite LCB Jonathan Jones.

Gonzalez (6’1/197) was initially recruited as a four-star caliber safety who was committed to the alma mater of his brother-in-law, David Blough, who is married to his Olympic sprinter sister, Melissa. He earned Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 status with Colorado in 2021 before transferring to Oregon in 2022 where he recorded 50 tackles, 11 PBU and four interceptions to go with a 74.7 NFL passer rating when targeted. The All-Pac-12 DB then went out and proved his ridiculous athleticism at the Combine by running a 4.38s 40-yard dash (95th%), 41.5” vert (99th%) and a near-perfect 9.95 RAS. His 32” arms allow him to jam at the line and swat away passes that smaller corners cannot reach. A smooth strider who has a press man profile, Gonzalez is very difficult to stack vertically with his jets but is still flexible enough to stay in phase throughout breaks. With Oregon’s potent offense lighting up scoreboards up and down the west coast, he defended 64 passes while allowing 495 yards and three touchdowns as opponents tried to catch up to Bo Nix and the high-octane Ducks. Gonzalez’s torso is a little slight which can hinder him in run support, but he really improved this season by posting a rock solid 4.9% missed tackle rate. Overall, Gonzalez has the type of profile defensive coordinators are desperate for.