New England Patriots
“We’ve seen his value, but it’s just showing even more when he’s not out there on the field.”
Former Patriots star and Pro Football Hall of Famer Ty Law believes that New England is going to be doling out some pricy contracts next offseason.
At the top of the list is a Patriots player who has yet to log a single snap this season: cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
Gonzalez has not appeared in a game with the Patriots this season, with the All-Pro defensive back still sidelined due to a hamstring injury suffered in late July during training camp.
But even with Gonzalez’s extended absence (and what has been a trend of the 23-year-old corner getting hampered by various ailments on the gridiron), Law believes that New England’s current defensive struggles accentuate just how essential Gonzalez is to this franchise moving forward.
“We’ve seen his value, but it’s just showing even more when he’s not out there on the field,” Law said on WEEI on Tuesday. “It’s just showing, ‘I’m hurt, they can’t replace me.’ So, he’s just adding value, and when he comes back and they improve, guess what? The Brinks truck is going to be backing up.”
Gonzalez will be due for a contract extension at the end of this season, with the 17th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft in line for a significant pay bump after establishing himself as one of the top coverage corners in the game last year.
New England’s secondary has taken a sizable hit so far this season with Gonzalez on the mend.
Through two games, the Patriots are dead-last in the NFL when it comes to passing yards allowed per game — with opponents averaging 315.0 yards per contest through the air against New England.
Even though the Patriots’ revamped defensive unit has made sizable gains when it comes to generating pressure against the quarterback (a league-leading 9.0 sacks), New England desperately needs Gonzalez back in the secondary to snuff out some of the explosive plays that the team has been prone to giving up.
Gonzalez broke his silence Tuesday morning when asked about his recovery process going into New England’s Week 3 matchup at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“We’re just going day-by-day. Taking it a step at a time,” Gonzalez said on “Good Morning Football” on Tuesday. “Just being in the building, sitting in the meetings, doing what I can. It’s been stressful, but it’s all for a reason.”
Gonzalez has not appeared in a practice with New England since initially injuring his hamstring on July 28.
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
