Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez got off to a promising start in 2023, but his rookie season went south when he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the fourth week of the regular season.
One of the four games that Gonzalez did play was the season opener against the Eagles and he got a chance to check back in with the NFC East club at Tuesday’s joint practice. He spent most of the session working against Eagles wideouts A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith, which gave Brown a good chance to assess the cornerback’s skills.
The veteran receiver was impressed with what he saw from the 2023 first-round pick.
“He’s a great player,” Brown said, via NESN.com. “I had picked him coming out two years ago as the best defensive back in the draft. He’s a great player. He gave me good work today.”
The Patriots had high hopes for Gonzalez last year and Brown’s review provides reason to believe he’ll pick up where he left off.