The NFL has taken notice of Christian Gonzalez’ excellent start to his rookie year

New England Patriots rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez has gotten off to an excellent start this season. It’s not just a thought Patriots fans have - the league has taken notice of what he’s done the first three games.

On Thursday, the NFL named Gonzalez the Defensive Rookie of the Month for the month of September. Gonzalez is the first Patriots player to win an NFL Rookie of the Month award since quarterback Mac Jones did so in November of 2021, and the first Patriot to win Defensive Rookie of the Month since Chandler Jones in September 2012.

READ MORE:

--The Patriots appear to have a new motto for 2023
--What do the Patriots need to do to create more chunk plays?
--Cowboys banged up as preparation for Patriots begins

Gonzalez, who was drafted 17th overall by the Patriots in this year’s NFL Draft out of Oregon, has faced star wide receivers in all three of his first three NFL games, taking on A.J. Brown of the Eagles, Tyreek Hill of the Dolphins, and reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson of the Jets. In those three games Gonzalez has allowed just 15 catches on 22 targets, for 148 yards. He has one interceptions and two pass breakups, and has yet to allow a touchdown. He’s also recorded a sack. We broke down Gonzalez strong start earlier this week here.

Off his start, Gonzalez is PFF’s highest-graded rookie through three games. He’s also the fifth-highest-graded cornerback in the league to this point.

This all comes as the Patriots have had to lean heavily on Gonzalez in a key role to start the season. The team has already placed two of its top cornerbacks on IR in Jack Jones and Marcus Jones, and while Jonathan Jones hasn’t been placed on IR he’s missed the last two games due to injury.

The Patriots will look to Gonzalez to build on his performance this Sunday, when he faces another tough test in CeeDee Lamb with the Patriots visiting the Cowboys. Kickoff is at 4:25 p.m. ET, with pregame coverage beginning at 1:30 on 98.5 The Sports and the Patriots Radio Network.

Read more...

It's an interesting week for the New England Patriots. They're coming off of their much-needed first win in a 15-10 victory over the New York Jets. At the same time, that win left a lot to be desired as the team moves forward and tries to return to the postseason.

Given that, it's not surprising to see the majority of this week's mailbag questions be about the long-term outlook of the season rather than this Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys (another team that is in a weird spot, after losing by double-digits to a tanking Arizona Cardinals team last week).

READ MORE:

--The Cowboys are changing their offense as they prepare for the Patriots
--An unfortunate injury update on the defensive line
--Rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez keeps passing tests

Many of the questions this week are about changes the Patriots can make to their personnel moving forward. That includes external additions, as well as changing the way players currently on the roster are used.

Let's start with some of those internal moves as we get into this week's questions...

Adding a fullback to the run scheme not only would help, it has helped. The Patriots employed tight end Pharaoh Brown as a fullback against the Jets, and it appeared to make a difference on traditional run calls. It's a look the Patriots shouldn't be afraid to go back to in the future.

So, there's two things at play here when we talk about Daniel Ekuale missing time. The first is the impact he makes as an interior pass rusher. To fill those snaps, Sam Roberts could get some looks but it's a role that would suit Keion White as well, especially in pure pass situations (ex. 3rd & long, end of game).

However, Ekuale had also been the Patriots best interior run defender through three games. In terms of finding a player for that role, the Patriots don't have many options - especially if Davon Godchaux misses time as well. Beyond Jeremiah Pharms on the practice squad, the team doesn't really have another nose tackle. A reunion with Carl Davis would make sense, but the team has yet to reach out to Davis, according to Andrew Callahan of The Boston Herald.

Both Ioannidis and Shelvin are currently free agents. While both would give the Patriots some needed depth on the interior, there's usually a reason players with their experience (especially in Ioannidis' case) are unsigned at this point in the season).

I was all for the Patriots signing Kenyan Drake back in the offseason, but he has since signed with the Ravens. Signing a similar kind of back might help, but most have signed by now. Leonard Fournette would probably be the top option if this is the route the Patriots want to go.

I don't think this one game will make or break the Patriots' outlook for the season. But there certainly is a conversation to be had about them adding a wide receiver if they win a few more games between now and the trade deadline at the end of October.

If/when we get to that point, Jerry Jeudy is certainly a name to know. The Broncos look like a disaster, and still need to recoup draft capital from the Russell Wilson trade. If the Patriots feel they have a shot at the playoffs, they should explore moving a Day 2 pick for Jeudy or a comparable player.

As much as it would help the Patriots to add a wide receiver mid-season, moving Josh Uche would be a steep price. The Patriots' pass rush is one of their biggest strengths, and Uche is a key part of it. While they do have the depth to replace him in theory, it would come with a step down as well as tremendous risk if somebody gets hurt.

Plus, mid-season wide receiver additions - while helpful - aren't always a guarantee. It's a lot to pick up a playbook and build chemistry with a quarterback starting in November. If there was a time to trade Uche for a wide receiver, it was back in the spring.

I'm going to need to see the evidence on Mac Jones being 'a subpar quarterback' so far in 2023. He currently ranks top 10 in the NFL in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and completion percentage (min. 100 pass attempts).

Could Jones be better? Of course. But calling for him to be bench is incredibly short-sighted and feel more like the continuation of a predetermined, prior dislike of the player take rather than the result of objectively watching the games. Not only has Jones shown promise this year, but his would-be replacement Bailey Zappe, struggled throughout the summer to the point that the team was O.K. risking losing him during roster cuts.

In terms of the issues with the Patriots' offense, neither Jones nor Bill O'Brien look like the biggest issues right now. The lack of production seem to be driven mostly by the struggles of the offensive line, followed by a limited group of playmakers.

If the Patriots identify these issues with Rhamondre Stevenson on film, it would be running backs coach Vinnie Sunseri that would likely be tasked with working with him to find a fix. That being said, it hasn't looked easy to run behind the offensive line. The best thing the Patriots can do for Stevenson at this point is get him more of a push up front. If Stevenson doesn't have to do as much to find rushing lanes as often as he has through three games, I think you'll see him start to look like a more determined ball carrier.

Making the playoffs is still the bar this team needs to hit. Missing out two years in a row after making the postseason with a rookie quarterback would be noticeably significant regression.

Playing in an offense that's worse than the Patriots', and that throws the ball less, Hopkins still has as many catches (14) and more yards (153) than any current Patriots receiver. It's tough to say whether he'd hit the 'projections' people had for him in New England since there was such a wide range, but early on it does look like he would have improved the offense to some extent.

The second point Kev makes here is absolutely correct. A vertical element would definitely help the Patriots' offense be more effective both throwing the ball underneath and make things easier on the run game as well. Can Tyquan Thornton be that guy?

That role is about more than being fast. If he can't get open/earn targets/catch the ball, teams will still probably be comfortable covering him one-on-one. If he starts making plays deep, that's when things will change.

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.