Patriots player profile: Christian Gonzalez is a shutdown cornerback in the making

Previewing the Patriots cornerback heading into the 2024 NFL season.

One of the primary contributing factors to the New England Patriots’ disappointing performance in 2023 was a series of injuries in all three phases of the game. Among the most prominent players lost was first-round cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who had played some encouraging football before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in October.

Despite the premature end to his rookie campaign, the future appears to be bright for Gonzalez — starting in 2024.

Hard facts

Name: Christian Gonzalez

Position: Cornerback

Opening day age: 22 (6/28/2002)

Size: 6’2”, 205 lbs

Jersey number: 0

Contract status: Signed through 2026, plus 5th-year option (2027 or 2028 UFA)

Experience

Playing various roles during his high school career at The Colony in his Texas hometown and being named all-district in both his junior and senior seasons, Gonzalez entered the college level as a four-star recruit. Receiving offers from several high-profile schools, the popular defensive back prospect decided to commit to Purdue but later changed course and joined Colorado instead.

Gonzalez spent his first two college seasons with the Buffaloes, starting all 18 games and registering 73 tackles and nine pass breakups. Following his 2021 sophomore year, however, he decided to take his talents to Oregon. Earning first-team All-Pac 12 honors, he produced the best season of his college career and, after deciding to leave college early, became a serious first-round candidate entering the NFL Draft.

Gonzalez was eventually selected 17th overall by the Patriots. Due to the aforementioned shoulder injury, he was limited to four games as a rookie.

2023 review

Stats: 4 games (4 starts) | 209 defensive snaps (18.4%), 19 special teams snaps (4.1%) | 17 tackles, 1 missed tackle (5.6%) | 24 targets, 16 catches surrendered (66.7%), 157 yards, 1 INT | 1 quarterback pressure (1 sack)

Season recap: The Patriots were in the market for cornerback help heading into the 2023 draft, but as the owners of the 15th overall selection appeared to be out of position to pick Gonzalez — one of the top two CBs available alongside Devon Witherspoon. But while Witherspoon was drafted in his expected range at No. 5 overall, Gonzalez remained on the board even after New England had traded down two spots.

The team eventually picked him up at No. 17, thus making him the third cornerback off the board behind Witherspoon (to Seattle) and 16th overall pick Emmanuel Forbes (to Washington). It did not take Gonzalez long to show why he was a worthy first-round selection and one of the top players in his class.

Repping with the starters right out of the gate during organized team activities, he remained his top role on the outside throughout the summer and heading into the regular season. Once there, the Patriots trusted him to take on some of the best receivers in football: over the first four games of the season, he lined up — in order — opposite A.J. Brown, Tyreek Hill, Garrett Wilson, and CeeDee Lamb.

The rookie growing pains he was expected to suffer from given this slate of opponents were minimal. Gonzalez did surrender 16 catches on 24 targets, per Pro Football Focus’ charting, but he only gave up 157 yards and no touchdowns. He also caught an interception.

Despite the spotlight being on him in a CB1-like role, the rookie looked remarkably calm and in control in his 209 defensive snaps. This allowed him to take advantage of his elite physical traits and natural coverage instincts — an all-around combination that had him in the Defensive Rookie of the Year conversation early on in the season.

However, Gonzalez’s impressive first year against NFL competition came to an abrupt end just 18 snaps into an early-October game against the Dallas Cowboys. Attempting a red zone tackle, the young defender landed awkwardly on his shoulder.

Gonzalez dislocated his shoulder, suffering a torn labrum along the way. The ailment forced New England to place him on injured reserve, and eventually to keep him out for the remainder of what started out as a massively promising rookie campaign.

2024 preview

What will be his role? As noted above, the Patriots inserted Gonzalez into their defensive starting lineup right out of the gate and he looked more than capable of handling whatever challenge was thrown at him. The expectation therefore is that he will pick up right where he left off: the 21-year-old will be a starting cornerback in New England’s secondary and veritable No. 1 cornerback, lining up both on the boundary and the field side.

What is his growth potential? After only three seasons of college football and four NFL games, Gonzalez is still only scratching the surface of his potential. If he can fully return from his labrum tear and continue to bulk up to better withstand the physical toll of pro-level football, he has definitive Pro Bowl potential before the end of his rookie contract.

Does he have positional versatility? The Patriots used Gonzalez on the outside on 84.7 percent of his defensive snaps (177 of 209), meaning that they primarily saw him as a perimeter cornerback in his first year in the league. While there is a chance the team expands his usage with more experience in the system, he will continue to see most of his action outside the formation. Playing on defense is not the extent of his versatility, however: Gonzalez also was one of New England’s primary vices on the punt return team.

What is his salary cap situation? Entering the second season of his four-year rookie contract, Gonzalez is carrying a salary cap hit of $3.43 million that constitutes of a $915,000 salary, a $521,494 roster bonus, and a $1.99 million signing bonus proration — all of which fully guaranteed. Given his performance in 2023 as well as his projected role in 2024, he has a chance of becoming a major bargain for the Patriots this season.

How safe is his roster spot? Unless he suffers a setback in his recovery or another injury altogether, Gonzalez is a lock to be on New England’s 53-man roster this fall. His draft status alone would guarantee him a spot on the team, but he also showed that he has serious shutdown cornerback potential even at his young age.

One-sentence projection: There will be more ups and downs over the course of a 17-game season, but Gonzalez — who changed jersey numbers from 6 to the 0 he wore in college this offseason — will take another overall step in his development from first-round pick to potential Pro Bowl selection.

What do you think about Christian Gonzalez heading into the 2024 season? Will he continue to pick up where he left off? Will he be able to play a full season? Please head down to the comment section to discuss.