Tony Romo might be the leader of the Christian Gonzalez fan club. Gonzalez put on another strong performance in the Patriots’ road win over the New York Jets on Sunday. The rookie cornerback allowed just five catches on seven targets for 45 yards, per Pro Football Focus, and now has given up just 15 catches […]
Tony Romo might be the leader of the Christian Gonzalez fan club.
Gonzalez put on another strong performance in the Patriots’ road win over the New York Jets on Sunday. The rookie cornerback allowed just five catches on seven targets for 45 yards, per Pro Football Focus, and now has given up just 15 catches for 148 yards and zero touchdowns through three games.
It’s been as good of a start as New England fans could hope for from the No. 17 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. And Gonzalez more than held his own against the likes of A.J. Brown, Tyreek Hill and Garrett Wilson. Bill Belichick even compared him to Stephon Gilmore.
That said, some people might be getting a bit carried away with their praise for Gonzalez, who hasn’t been asked to do much man coverage. And Romo is leading the charge.
“Gonzalez is already one of the top corners in the NFL,” the former NFL quarterback said during CBS’s Patriots-Jets broadcast. “Nobody covers that that well.”
But Romo didn’t stop there.
“It’s very hard to cover him 1-on-1,” Romo said while breaking down replays of Gonzalez defending Wilson. “They’re not giving him a lot of help and Gonzalez is playing outstanding coverage against one of the top receivers in the NFL. He took on Tyreek Hill last week and more than handled his own.”
Romo added: “They picked a stud in the first round. That’s a home run.”
Again, Romo’s takes were a little aggressive. It’s way too early to call Gonzalez one of the “top” corners in the league.
But the Oregon product has been really good to start his NFL career. There’s a real chance the Patriots have their next franchise corner.
