Christian Gonzalez is the New England Patriots' best player, and he certainly looked like it Tuesday when OTA practices resumed at Gillette Stadium.
The star cornerback intercepted two of Drake Maye's passes during drills.
"It was two different coverages, both where I got to see the quarterback," Gonzalez told reporters after the session. "That helps as a DB. Just saw the ball and went and got it."
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SIGN UP HERE The Patriots made a lot of changes to their roster in the offseason, particularly on defense. New England bolstered many different positions on that side of the ball, especially in the front seven with the additions of defensive tackle Milton Williams and linebacker Harold Landry, among others. They also have a new defensive-minded head coach in Mike Vrabel.
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Gonzalez is enjoying playing for Vrabel.
“Lots of new faces, but we're rolling," Gonzalez said. "Love playing for Vrabel so far. Great energy. Everything you see on TV, that’s exactly what you get... His energy, he always has great energy. Always smiling. I've enjoyed it.”
Another big offseason addition was the signing of veteran cornerback Carlton Davis. Davis won a Super Bowl with Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2020 season. He spent the 2024 campaign with the Detroit Lions and helped turn their defense into a top-tier unit.
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Gonzalez and Davis could be one of the league's top cornerback duos next season, which would be a huge boost for Vrabel's defense.
"It's going to be awesome," Gonzalez said when asked about playing alongside Davis. "Just learning and playing with CD -- he's been in it, he's played in a Super Bowl, he's seen it at the highest level and he's done it. That's not only great for me, but the whole room to have his voice in there. Just trying to pick up tips from him, anything you can learn from him, piggybacking ideas, how to play certain stuff. It's going to be awesome."
One area where we could see Gonzalez grow quite a bit this season is as a leader. He's entering only the third season of his career, but he's still been in New England longer than many of his teammates on defense. And as an All-Pro caliber player, he can be a great resource for the team's younger guys.
"As most people know, I'm more low-key. I don't talk a lot," Gonzalez said. "But everybody can lead differently. It can be talking or by playing. I'm just gonna continue to be myself and not change.
"But the more I've been in the building, more I've been around football and started to learn, the more I can help the rookies when they have a question, or not even just the rookies, anybody else that has a question."