The New England Patriots' defense was one of the league's best last season. While their run defense was a hallmark, their cornerbacks are arguably the league's best.
Christian Gonzalez is a star, while Carlton Davis found his stride in the playoffs, as his postseason included a pair of interceptions against the Texans. Marcus Jones was extended during the season and cemented himself as one of the league's top slot cornerbacks, along with being the best punt returner in football.
While Davis and Jones are key pieces to the defense, there's good reason for the hype ahead of Gonzalez's rookie season.
The former Oregon Duck ranks top five in completion percentage and yards per attempt when targeted over the last two seasons, and was the primary defender on Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the Super Bowl, holding the OPOY to just 27 yards.
Christian Gonzalez is set to be one of the league's best yet again
In a recent article from CBS's Zachary Pereles, Gonzalez was named as one of the 100 players to watch this season. He was one of seven players selected to his "secondary stars" category, which also featured 2024 DPOY Patrick Surtain, Derek Stingley, Devon Witherspoon, Cooper Dejean, Trent McDuffie, and Kyle Hamilton: elite company.
When Gonzalez played last season, the Patriots lost only two games across the regular season and playoffs, one of which was the Super Bowl. He allowed the lowest completion rate of any cornerback in football last season, a 43.4% rate across the regular and postseason (min. 100 snaps), with just one touchdown allowed.
He was also 4th in passer rating allowed at 57.0, and he didn't miss a tackle. It was about as close to a perfect season as a cornerback can have.
In 2026, he will face a multitude of top receivers. He'll meet Smith-Njigba again in Week 1 and then see D.K. Metcalf in Week 2. He'll face off against Garrett Wilson twice after the ex-Buckeye missed both games last year, and D.J. Moore will be Josh Allen's newest toy, joining the AFC East.
Rome Odunze and Luther Burden will be a tough matchup when they make the trek to Soldier Field. He'll also face Amon-Ra St. Brown, Justin Jefferson, and Jaylen Waddle in the second half of the season. If he can repeat his 2025 feat, he should be among the DPOY frontrunners.
Along with Gonzalez, the article mentions Drake Maye, Will Campbell, and A.J. Brown as players fans should keep an eye on. 2026 will be a massive season for both Gonzalez and the Patriots organization.
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