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Christian Gonzalez’s terrific rookie season hit a roadblock Sunday in Dallas.
The Patriots’ rookie cornerback is “expected to miss some time” after suffering a dislocated shoulder in Sunday’s 38-3 loss to the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium, The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reported Monday.
WEEI’s Mike Kadlick was the first to report the nature of Gonzalez’s injury, which the first-round draft pick sustained while tackling running back Tony Pollard late in the first quarter.
Gonzalez played all but one defensive snap this season before his injury, and his stellar play over the first three weeks earned him NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month honors for September. It also helped the Patriots withstand injuries that sidelined fellow cornerbacks Jonathan Jones, Jack Jones and Marcus Jones for multiple games.
The Patriots now are staring at the possibility of being without the three Joneses and Gonzalez — their top four outside corners — for this Sunday’s matchup with the New Orleans Saints. They’ll need to hope Jonathan Jones, who’s been able to practice in a limited capacity, can return from the ankle injury that kept him out of the last three contests.
Jack Jones is eligible to come off injured reserve this week, but multiple reports suggested he might not be ready to do so.
Gonzalez’s injury left the Patriots with Myles Bryant and Shaun Wade as their only available cornerbacks. Jalen Mills, who filled in in the slot Sunday along with Marte Mapu, could move back from safety to provide additional depth. Mills started 26 games at cornerback over the last two seasons before changing positions this past spring.
The Patriots also lost star edge rusher Matthew Judon to a reported torn biceps tendon during Sunday’s loss. Howe reported Judon “is expected to be out a while.”