It's no secret the Patriots defense is missing All-Pro cornerback Christian Gonzalez as he rehabilitates a hamstring injury: through the first two games of the season, New England has given up a league-high 677 passing yards.
Three-time Super Bowl champion Ty Law told WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show" that proves how important Gonzalez is to the franchise.
"We've seen his value, but it's just showing even more when he's not out there on the field," Law said, Tuesday morning. "It's just showing, 'I'm hurt, they can't replace me.' So, he's just adding value, and when he comes back and they improve, guess what? The Brinks truck is going to be backing up."
Gonzalez, who played all 17 regular season games last season, was injury on July 28th during Patriots training camp. He hasn't participated in practice with the team, since.
His stellar performance last season is a strong indicator he'll earn a big contract when he's up for an extension next year, but Law doesn't see anything nefarious about the timing of this particular injury and his eventual payday.
"I think it's really a coincidence, because as a young player, you really want to be out there on the field. He's not been around that long. I think it's really an injury, and he doesn't want to hurt himself for the long term, either," Law said.
"I don't think he's trying to hold out right now. He really wants to play football," he added.
Alex Austin has played in his absence. Despite a strong summer, Miami's Tyreek Hill was able to secure his first reception for more than 30 yards since Week 1 of 2024 with Austin in coverage Sunday.