The Patriots' secondary has been among their best groups over the last few years, and that is expected to continue with Christian Gonzalez leading the pack, along with his new confidant in Carlton Davis III. Further down the depth chart are some strong young cornerbacks who can hold their own, like Alex Austin, who impressed throughout the 2024 season.
There's also Marcus Jones, the triple-threat player who is an impressive secret weapon for the Patriots in any phase of the game, and DJ James, who impressed throughout the offseason.
With Gonzalez not starting in the season opener, it meant a lot of pressure was on the rest of the crew to hold down the fort, and fortunately, through the start of the game, they've done just that. To be fair, the safeties have actually been the star of the show, specifically Jaylinn Hawkins, who got the start along with Kyle Dugger.
In even better news, potentially, the Patriots might have given away Gonzalez's status for next week in this game.
Christian Gonzalez might be good to go next week for Patriots' first AFC showdown
Although he was ruled out late last week, Gonzalez was at Gillette Stadium on Sunday and was seen by reporters cheering on his teammates from the sideline.
Just spotted Christian Gonzalez on the sideline, cheering on the team
— Karen Guregian (@kguregian) September 7, 2025
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If this is any indication of his status, it seems like a good sign for next week, even if his appearance on the sideline doesn't necessarily mean much in that regard.
It's a positive sign to see that he is well enough to be around the team and actively communicating with his teammates during the game. That's not typically allowed for injured players, so perhaps this means he's closer to returning than what Mike Vrabel has been alluding to in recent days.
We won't know until Week 2 approaches, and fortunately, the secondary has been playing well even in Gonzalez's absence, so it might not be a significant concern regardless. However, a big-time divisional matchup would feel far more secure if they do have him in their lineup.