Christian Gonzalez Named a ‘Player to Rebound’ in 2024

New England Patriots rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez impressively began his NFL career in 2023. New England selected Gonzalez in the first round (No. 17 overall) in the 2023 NFL Draft. He proved in training camp he was the top corner on New England’s roster, earning a spot in the starting lineup. Once the regular season started, Gonzalez looked even better.

Unfortunately for Gonzalez and the Patriots, his rookie campaign ended after only four games. He suffered a torn labrum that landed him on injured reserve for the duration of the season.

Gonzalez made a positive impressive before his injury. He earned NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month honors for September. He amassed 17 tackles (14 solo) including one tackle for loss. Gonzalez recorded both a sack and an interception. Most impressively, he allowed zero touchdown receptions while defending the likes of A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Tyreek Hill, Jayden Waddle, Garrett Wilson, and CeeDee Lamb.

Also Read – Patriots Pick Marcellas Dial Jr. at No. 180 in the 2024 NFL Draft

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NFL Players to Rebound in 2024

Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports picked six NFL players he expects to “rebound” in 2024. He narrowed his options to players entering their second or third year. Four of these predictions were coming back from injury, with two other rebounding from poor performance.

Trapasso stated that, “Every year in the NFL, we see breakout stars,” which is accurate. Predicting who those breakout stars will be is the tough part. Among the players CBS Sports is banking on for 2024 is Christian Gonzalez. Trapasso writes:

“Christian Gonzalez hurt his labrum in early October and was subsequently placed in season-ending injured reserve. Then a multitude of enormous franchise-altering developments took place with the Patriots, so it’s relatively easy to forgot how good the first-round pick from Oregon was in his first four NFL games. 

The man-coverage specialist had three pass breakups, an interception, didn’t allow a touchdown in his coverage area, and missed just one tackle on 209 total snaps. A freak athletically with super-smooth hips and brilliant route-recognition skill, Gonzalez was born to play in New England’s defense (yes, even after the Bill Belichick era).”

Other players mentioned on Trapasso’s list included WR Christian Watson (Packers), LB Nolan Smith (Eagles), CB Andrew Booth Jr. (Vikings), DE Tyree Wilson (Raiders), and CB Cam Smith (Dolphins).

Seems a Safe Bet

Gonzalez could be the best bet of anyone listed to blossom into stardom in 2024. The only thing preventing him from doing so last year was his health. Eight NFL rookies made the Pro Bowl last season. For the one month he was healthy, Christian Gonzalez was playing better than any of them. There is no reason to believe that would not have continued.

New England had to be happy to see Christian Gonzalez looking healthy in the team’s offseason activities thus far.

“I’m good. Healthy, excited to go,” said Gonzalez at OTAs in May. “Focused on just getting better. Coming in every day and just keep getting back to work.”

Christian Gonzalez remains the top cornerback for the New England Patriots in 2024. If he has fully recovered from his torn labrum, there is no reason to believe he wont be even better in 2024 than during his brief rookie season. He has shown he can play at an elite level, is healthy, and despite a large staff overhaul, the defensive group remains largely in tact. In other words, nobody should be surprised if at least one of Trapasso’s predictions for 2024 comes true.