New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez is entering his second NFL season, and he could be on the verge of a breakout year.
The hype train is already behind him considering he received an honorable mention on ESPN’s top-10 cornerbacks list, despite only playing in four games. That optimism is reportedly shared within the Patriots organization as well, according to NFL insider Albert Breer.
“They actually think Christian Gonzalez is set up for a really big year,” Breer said on NBC Sports Boston. “They’ve tried to challenge him in different ways in camp and develop him as the number one corner. Now how do you do that? You do that by creating difficult matchups for him, by creating different situations for him in training camp.
…I’m not comparing him to Randy Moss as an athlete, but there are certain guys who are sort of smooth movers that way, and he’s one of these guys that’s taller, longer, that sometimes it doesn’t even look like he’s making much of an effort when he’s actually just kind of gliding down the field. So, I can tell you there’s not a lot of concern on the part of people I talked to in the organization about Christian Gonzalez. They think he’s one of the very best players on the team.”
.@AlbertBreer: Patriots think Christian Gonzalez is "set up for a really big year" 👀 pic.twitter.com/uCZkQFXWbY
— NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSBoston) August 23, 2024
Gonzalez recorded 17 tackles and an interception last year before going down with a season-ending shoulder injury. Now, he is looking to bounce back and become a focal point of the secondary.
The emergence of Gonzalez would certainly be a positive thing for a positional unit that needs youth. It sounds as though New England is preparing him to not only be one of the best corners on the team, but one of the best corners in the NFL.
