FOXBORO, Mass. — Christian Gonzalez probably wouldn’t like this article.
It’s a really positive story about one of the New England Patriots’ two young, no-doubt players they hope are the pillars of their ongoing rebuild. And, based on the way he talks and acts, that might make the cornerback uncomfortable.
Most who play his position are confident, almost to a fault. You need to be a little off to give up a 30-yard pass then line up seconds later across from the same receiver convincing yourself he could never beat you.
But amid this disappointing 3-11 season, Gonzalez, 22, isn’t interested in celebrating the No. 1 cornerback status he’s validating. He’s not focused on his immense potential or his impressive performances, like Sunday when he locked up Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.
Gonzo ❌@chrisgonzo28 | #ProBowlVote
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/W66u82jeNQ
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 15, 2024
“I’m not really worried about it,” Gonzalez said when asked if Week 15 was his best game yet. “I want to win, so whatever the personal stats are, it is what it is. I want to win.”
While it doesn’t make writing this story any easier, that’s a welcome, team-first attitude for a franchise searching for positives in what — if New England loses its final three games in Buffalo and at home against the Chargers and Bills — will be its worst season since 1992.
There’s a lot that’s bleak about this team. The roster is terrible. Questions abound for (and about) the coaching staff. All of that yields plenty of fodder about the future.
But even with so much unknown, the Patriots have two undisputed positive takeaways from this otherwise painful season: rookie quarterback Drake Maye and Gonzalez.
For a lot of rebuilding teams, there aren’t such obvious players so central to turning around their fortunes. But Maye is 22 and showing all the signs you’d want from a young quarterback. Gonzalez is only two months older and already looks like the kind of true shutdown corner the Patriots have long been accustomed to.
Gonzalez ranks 11th in Pro Football Focus’ coverage grade among cornerbacks (the Bills’ Christian Benford, whom the Patriots will see twice in the next three weeks, is one of the few ahead of Gonzalez). Of cornerbacks drafted in the last five years, Gonzalez ranks eighth.
What’s perhaps most impressive about Gonzalez’s positive season is how he’s done it. He has played the second-most snaps of any defensive back in man coverage (his 218 are behind only Detroit’s Terrion Arnold) and has routinely been put on an island by the Patriots’ defensive coaches, tasked with covering the opponent’s best receiver.
Quite the resume 🔒@chrisgonzo28 | #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/xPwgOJwGpC
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 12, 2024
“He’s our best player on defense, and he proved that (against the Cardinals),” coach Jerod Mayo said. “(He’s) just a guy that goes out there and competes on a down-after-down basis, and he did a good job for us.”
Even if the Patriots have only two promising young players to build around, the good news is they both play premium positions. That’s obvious with Maye. But in a passing league, it has never been more important to have at least one good cornerback. The Patriots can be confident about that even if the position likely needs more depth and a true starter outside of Gonzalez, holes they can focus on filling in the offseason.
Already, the rest of the league is taking notice.
“I know (he is only in his) second year, but he’s going to be one of those guys,” Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray said. “He already is.”
Even though Gonzalez was a first-round pick, the 17th selection in 2023, this kind of season wasn’t guaranteed. While Gonzalez was very good in his first four games last season, a shoulder injury prematurely ended his rookie campaign and required surgery.
Gonzalez looks the part of a modern cornerback. He’s tall (6 foot 1), lanky (32-inch arms) and fast (4.38-second 40-yard dash). But a lot can go wrong for a player when he misses most of his rookie season. It’s not a given that he’ll improve in Year 2 — let alone retain all of his potential — when he doesn’t play.
Some of that was apparent in training camp. Gonzalez wasn’t the same player then that he is now. He allowed some big plays to average (to put it kindly) Patriots receivers. At the time, there were legitimate questions about how long it would take Gonzalez to settle in.
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But after knocking that rust off in August practices, he has answered those questions emphatically.
“He’s got that dog mentality of, ‘I’m not going to let this guy win,’” Patriots cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino said earlier this season. “He wants to be great and he does all the extra things to be great. I’m very impressed with his work ethic. He’ll take extra reps, he’ll take scout team reps. Anything that has to do with football, he’s locked in. He’s very good in the classroom. Very good at his film study on his own. That is unique at corner.”
So now, as the Patriots round out this bummer of a season, they can feel good about their two legitimate building blocks. This offseason will be about finding more blue-chippers who complement the two they have.
In a season without much positivity in New England, Gonzalez is turning into a true shutdown cornerback. Even if he’s reluctant to talk about it.
“We’ve still got goals,” he said. “Go out there and win and put good film out there both for yourself and also as a team. Finish out the season strong.”
(Photo: Jaiden Tripi / Getty Images)
