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Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff Writer
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. Gilmore on Gonzo: When it comes to promising young players who provide hope for the Patriots’ future, cornerback Christian Gonzalez is near the top of the list. Veteran cornerback Jonathan Jones recently compared Gonzalez to former Patriot and five-time Pro Bowler Stephon Gilmore.
There is no disagreement from Gilmore.
“It’s his demeanor and how he carries himself on the field — he doesn’t say much but he’s a team player,” Gilmore told ESPN. “One thing I know he can do is really cover man to man and shut guys down. That’s one thing I definitely like about him.
“Obviously, I watched him when he got drafted, I knew the Patriots needed a corner, and I was happy they got him. I texted [cornerbacks coach] Mike Pellegrino and said, ‘He’s going to be good.'”
Gonzalez, the team’s 2023 first-round draft pick, was off to a sizzling start last season, earning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month honors in September. He started four games, totaling 17 tackles, one sack, one interception and three pass breakups before sustaining a torn labrum in a Week 4 blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Gonzalez grew up outside of Dallas, and with Gilmore, currently a free agent, now calling the Dallas area home, the two initially connected by working out together at Sports Academy, and now have developed a bond.
“I just told him, ‘Whatever you need, just ask me,'” the 33-year-old Gilmore said. “I always try to help out the young guys as much as I can.”
The 22-year-old Gonzalez has taken Gilmore up on it.
“It’s real cool to be able to talk to him any time. He’s one of the best to ever do it,” said Gonzalez, who has received a clean bill of health and been a full participant in all nine of the Patriots’ training camp practices. “He plays with great smarts and knows the game really well. When you watch his film, you can see how he played like that, so I’m trying to mimic certain things.”
The 6-foot, 190-pound Gilmore, who played for the Patriots from 2017 to 2021 and won a Super Bowl in his second season with the team, has stressed the importance of the mental side of the game.
“I tell him all the time, ‘I wish I would have known what I know now in Year 5 or 4.’ But if I can teach a guy like him, in his second year, the sky is the limit for him,” Gilmore said. “I see a lot of myself in him. The thing about playing corner is the mind game. If you get the mind right, I think he has all the ability to be whatever he wants to be.”
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Gonzalez projects to start opposite nine-year veteran Jonathan Jones, with third-year player Marcus Jones a leading contender to be in the slot.
“He’s one of those guys who is just going to do his job — not a rah-rah guy or a big talker,” first-year coach Jerod Mayo said of Gonzalez on Sirius XM NFL Radio. “Sometimes I yell at him because I don’t think he’s trying but at the same time you look at the numbers and he’s running 22 miles per hour and it’s like, ‘Man, this guy is a gazelle.’ We’ll be leaning on him.”
Gonzalez will be tested early in the season. The Patriots’ opening game is on the road against receivers Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and the Cincinnati Bengals. They then face DK Metcalf and the Seattle Seahawks, Garrett Wilson and the New York Jets and Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel Sr. and the San Francisco 49ers. Gilmore said he relishes those challenges, and he sees much of that attitude in Gonzalez.
“He’s not afraid of who he is covering, and if someone catches a pass on him, he also has a short-term memory,” Gilmore said. “And he’s super laid-back, which I also like about him. I don’t mind corners talking and stuff like that, but I think he puts it on tape.”
2. Judon situation simmers: Mayo and executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf faced the first real adversity of their tenures last week when outside linebacker Matthew Judon showed up at the first full-pads practice without pads and decided to be a spectator, sitting on top of a flipped-over trash barrel, watching his teammates work.
Judon, who has said he doesn’t believe his contract reflects his value, has since returned after being away from the team for two days and has fully participated in three practices. The situation has cooled in the view of multiple sources close to it, but it isn’t completely resolved, as Judon’s contract remains unchanged.
Judon has kept a lower profile since his return. He walks up the back steps to the practice fields, no longer plays catch with fans before practices and has yet to be available to reporters.
3. Preseason approach: The Patriots have had nine practices in training camp, with two more scheduled for early next week before they host the Carolina Panthers in Thursday’s preseason opener. How much rookie quarterback Drake Maye will play is a big question. Mayo said Saturday that those conversations are still taking place, including whether starters will play at all.
4. QB check-in: The repetitions taken by quarterbacks in team drills over the past three practices further clarify how coaches view the ongoing competition, with veteran Jacoby Brissett totaling 45% of the snaps as the clear-cut No. 1 option, and Maye at 31% as the decisive No. 2. That left 12% of the snaps apiece for Joe Milton III and Bailey Zappe, whose work has often been limited in training camp.
5. Onwenu at RG: Mike Onwenu, who signed a three-year, $57 million deal to return to the Patriots in March after playing right tackle last season, hasn’t taken a single snap at that spot in training camp. He has been exclusively at right guard despite the Patriots’ tackle depth being thinned as of late. Mayo said Saturday that he isn’t ready to permanently commit to Onwenu at right guard just yet, noting that it’s a decision he’ll make by the second preseason game on Aug. 15.
6. Polk’s edge: Rookie receivers Ja’Lynn Polk (second round) and Javon Baker (fourth round) have made some highlight plays in practices, with Mayo lauding Polk as an “all-around player you want to build your team around.” They’ve also brought a notable chip on their shoulder pads to the field, taking a Rodney Harrison-type approach of acknowledging the doubters — such as those who rank Patriots receivers among the worst in the NFL.
“I keep notes on everything. I see all the stuff they put out there about us,” Polk said. “If you’re not with us right now, when it’s all said and done, don’t get on the train.”
7. Kickoff chatter: Thursday’s preseason opener will give the Patriots a chance to experience the NFL’s new kickoff rules in a game for the first time. Through their initial work on the play, the Patriots view “block destruction” as one of the most vital parts of the new set-up, which they see as “almost an offensive play.” Mayo envisions being a “game-plan type team” each week in determining whether the Patriots kick the ball out of the end zone vs. making the opposition return the kickoff.
8. Gilmore waits: Gilmore has spent the past 13 seasons in a training camp, with the Bills (2012-2016), Patriots (2017-2021), Colts (2022) or Cowboys (2023). This year he is a top cornerback on the free agent market.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been around this time of year, so I’m just taking advantage of the time with my family, but staying ready for my opportunity,” he said. “Being patient and enjoying life right now.”
9. They said it: “I hate when people say ‘player’s coach.’ I truly believe in being demanding without being demeaning. For me, it’s striking the balance to treating these guys as professionals but also holding them accountable to everything they talked about on Day 1 of the spring.” — Mayo, on Sirius XM NFL’s “Movin’ the Chains” show.
10. Did you know? Mayo is the first head coach in Patriots history who was formerly a player for the team. He is the fifth Patriots head coach who previously played professional football, joining Lou Saban (1960-61), Mike Holovak (1961-68), Clive Rush (1969-70) and Raymond Berry (1984-89).