Through three games in the 2025 season, New England Patriots are 1-2. They are in a 21-14 defeat to the Steelers in week three. New England had no previous first round pick Christian Gonzalez.
He suffered a hamstring injury in late July and has been recovering ever since. The team had expected Gonzalez to be available in week one, but that wasn’t the case. On Wednesday, September 24th, head coach Mike Vrabel spoke with the media. He hopes Christian Gonzalez will increase his workload and could play for the fourth week and the Panthers.
New England Christian Gonzalez is still recovering from a hamstring injury
Mike Vrabel said he expects Christian Gonzalez to be able to put a job load on the hoping to face Carolina on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/1fa6bpbckq
– Karen Garegian (@kguregia) September 24, 2025
In his 17th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Christian Gonzalez was selected by Oregon Patriots. Gonzalez played 20 games over his first two seasons and began. As a rookie, Gonzalez played in just four games for New England. He tortured lips on his shoulders and missed the final 13 games. During the 2024 campaign, Christian Gonzalez bouncing off and launched 16 of 17 games for the Patriots.
He coincided the 2024 season with 59 seasons, 59 tackles, two interceptions and 11 passes defended and a touchdown with one fumble recovery. It was enough for Gonzalez to be selected as the second team All-Pro. After missing a fair amount of time as a rookie, Christian Gonzalez bouncing back in his second season. Unfortunately, Gonzalez suffered a setback that affected his 2025 campaign in late July.
Mike Vrabel arrives @kguregia Along with questions about CB Christian Gonzalez (in camouflage from the second row), Vrabel says he plans to strengthen him this week in hopes of him playing Sunday and the Panthers. pic.twitter.com/53e9qp1bx5
– Mike Rice (@mikereiss) September 24, 2025
The 23-year-old has not yet seen the field this season due to a hamstring injury. The Patriot said reporter Albert Breer expected New England to be ready for week one. We are heading into week 4 and there is no clear answer as to whether Gonzalez is available. Brie said there is no “maliciousness” from the patriots, but he could be unhappy with the CB not yet ready.
Additionally, Albert Breer said he could be hesitant because he was too early from Gonzalez. The young CB has already missed most of his rookie season due to injuries. He doesn’t want the same to happen in his third year. Brier said Christian Gonzalez might be overly cautious to ensure he can get a second contract with the Patriots. New England star CB has been practicing for two weeks. However, he is not ready for game action. We’ll see if Christian Gonzalez is available in week 4 as Patriots face the Panthers.
