Gonzalez played in just four games last season.
The New England Patriots have not had their No. 1 cornerback on the field since since last October, when Christian Gonzalez suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.
That should soon change.
While Gonzalez would not commit to participating in New England’s upcoming spring practices — or declare himself 100 percent — he indicated a return from his torn labrum is near.
“Healthy. Excited to go,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “That’s in the past. Ready for right now. Happy to be back in the building and around the guys and have fun.”
After being selected in the first-round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Gonzalez was thrown right into the fire in Foxboro. That included matching up against wideouts such as A.J. Brown, Tyreek Hill, Garrett Wilson and CeeDee Lamb in the first four games of his professional career.
Gonzalez passed the early tests with flying colors as he went on to win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for September.
“It gave me confidence,” Gonzalez said of the performance. “But, I had confidence coming into the league. Especially this position at corner. A lot of it is mental. Just trusting my technique. Going out there, trusting God, what I’ve been taught. It’s all confidence.”
With New England set to run a similar defense under new head coach Jerod Mayo, Gonzalez is ready to do whatever the coach ask of him. That will likely include many more of those matchups, something he is already looking forward too: “Obviously, I want that matchup. I think any corner wants that matchup.”
Mayo should have his top corner available to him on the field shortly, but Gonzalez would not commit to being medically cleared as he continues to rehab and strengthen his shoulder.
“That’s kind of out of my control, just doing what I got to do,” Gonzalez said when asked if he’s been medically cleared. “Like I said, get my shoulder back right, learn the playbook, be around the guys.”
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