Gonzalez vague on recovery
FoxBoRoUgH — Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez wouldn’t say whether he will be a full participant when organized team activities begin later this month.
gonzalez, who underwent surgery in october after suffering a season-ending torn labrum in Week 4, played coy Tuesday when discussing his recovery timeline. He initially said his injury is “in the past” but wouldn’t provide further details.
At what point was he cleared for full activity?
“I’m still just going,” gonzalez said. “I’m focusing on still rehabbing, strengthening the shoulder, and trying to get better for this year.”
Does he expect to be ready for oTAs?
“That’s kind of out of my control,” he said. “Just doing what I got to do.”
So, is he not 100 percent?
“I can’t give you that answer,” he said. “I’m not the doctor. I don’t know. I’m listening to what they tell me.”
The Patriots will hold 10 oTAs, starting may 20 and ending June 7. They will then have a three-day mandatory minicamp that begins June 13.
gonzalez has been in the building since the voluntary offseason program began April 8. He said the work so far has centered mainly on re-acclimating to football movements, conditioning, learning the playbook, and familiarizing himself with the defense’s new faces.
As he transitions from his rookie year, gonzalez said he is focused on staying healthy, becoming a teammate that everyone can count on, and showing more personality.
In the four games he played last season, gonzalez flashed his potential as a lockdown cornerback — and he will continue to embrace the challenge of guarding the opposing team’s top receiver. He is expected to be New England’s top cornerback, with
Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones, Alex Austin, shaun Wade, Marcellas Dial
and rounding out the depth chart. gonzalez said his performance as a rookie, albeit a small sample size, built his confidence, while also acknowledging he was always going to feel that way.
“It gave me confidence, but I had confidence coming into the league,” gonzalez said. “Especially at this position, corner. A lot of it is mental. Just trusting my technique, going out there, and trusting god and what I’ve been taught.”
Eagles’ Hunt interviews Brandon
Eagles director of scouting
Hunt interviewed for the Patriots’ lead personnel job, according to reports.
Hunt, the director of scouting for Philadelphia, joined the Eagles during the 2022 offseason. He previously served as the pro scouting director with the Steelers, and was a part of the Pittsburgh organization from 2009-22, serving as the pro scouting coordinator from 2010-21.
Hunt is reportedly the first candidate who has accepted an interview. Three previous names have been reported as candidates for the position, but they’ve all turned down the opportunity to talk with the Patriots: Bills director of player personnel Terrance Gray, Bengals senior personnel executive Trey Brown, and former Cardinals executive Quentin Harris.
Eliot Wolf, currently on the masthead as director of scouting, has been the very visible face of the Patriots’ front office since the team moved on from Bill Belichick in January. Wolf, who served as the de facto gm throughout the predraft process and free agency, has helped guide the Patriots through the first half of a key offseason, and stated unequivocally at the combine in February that he would be the one making the call when the team was on the clock with the third overall pick.
While it’s believed Wolf is the frontrunner for the job, the franchise must follow through on the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview at least two external minority candidates for open head coach and gm positions before making a hire or promotion. Those must be in-person interviews.
Many hands on deck
The Patriots’ wide receiver corps seems to have adopted an iron-sharpens-iron approach.
“In our receiver room, we’ve been working as a unit,” DeMario Douglas said Tuesday. “We’ve been pushing each other. The better I am, the better the next man is going to be. The better the next man is, the better I’m going to be. I feel like we’ve all been competing.”
Douglas, who led the Patriots in receiving yards last season (561), joins Kendrick Bourne, JuJu smith-schuster, Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutte, and Jalen Reagor as the returning players in a crowded receiver room. The Patriots also signed veteran K.J. Osborn, and drafted Ja’Lynn Polk in the second round and Javon Baker in the fourth.
Douglas said he has watched some film of the two rookies, highlighting Polk’s ability as a deep threat and Baker’s hands.
“We definitely added some dogs to the room,” Douglas said.
Douglas also gave a positive update on Thornton, whose roster spot is in jeopardy. According to Douglas, Thornton has put on weight and built up his strength.
“His mind-set is definitely on the right path,” Douglas said. “He’s going the right way.”
The numbers game
Patriots rookies won’t have to wear numbers in the 50s this year. Coach Jerod Mayo has nixed the tradition, which was instituted in 2017 by Bill Belichick and required rookies to wear numbers in the 50s and 60s throughout the offseason program and training camp. The Patriots’ first pick in that year’s draft class would wear No. 50, their second pick would wear No. 51, and so on . . . gonzalez and Douglas will have number changes this year, with gonzalez switching from No. 6 to No. 0 and Douglas from No. 81 to No. 3 . . . gonzalez said he has kept tabs on Polk because of their time together in the Pac-12. Polk, who spent three years at Washington, scored a 76-yard touchdown against oregon in 2022, but gonzalez was quick to clarify the play was not his fault.