AJ Brown gives high praise to Christian Gonzalez after joint training originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
All eyes were on the defenders, especially Drake Mayeduring Tuesday joint training between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles.
But there was another very intriguing battle going on on the field: Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez versus Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown.
Expectations are very high for Gonzalez. He enters his second NFL season as the top cornerback on the depth chart. He played very well as a rookie in 2023, but his campaign was cut short after just four games due to injury.
Brown is one of the top 10 wide receivers in the league. He is not only fast and highly skilled, he is also a very physically difficult opponent because of his excellent strength. He is the complete package as a wideout.
Brown came away impressed from his confrontation with Gonzalez on Tuesday.
“He’s a great player,” Brown said of Gonzalez when speaking with reporters after practice. “I picked him two years ago as the best defender in the draft (2023). He’s a great player. He gave me a good job today.”
The Patriots need a strong season from Gonzalez if the defense wants to be a top 10 or 15 and give the team a chance to win more games than it did a year ago.
Gonzalez will also be tested sooner. Here is a list of talented players the Patriots play in the first six weeks of the regular season:
Many of the best Patriots teams of the last 25 years have had a shutdown cornerback on defense. Ty Law and Stephon Gilmore are two of the best examples. Gonzalez still has a long way to go before reaching that level, but the optimism and excitement surrounding his sophomore season is justified based on his talent.
