Christian Gonzalez and Keion White arrived in New England as part of the same draft class, joining the Patriots as their first and second picks in 2023. But while both looked like potential long-term cornerstones for the organization up until last season, their paths started to diverge in 2025.

Despite dealing with a nagging hamstring injury over the summer, Gonzalez remained the Patriots’ undisputed No. 1 cornerback. White, on the other hand, was asked to adapt to a different role in the team’s new defensive scheme and eventually lost his starting position to offseason signing K’Lavon Chaisson. On Tuesday, he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers as part of a late-round draft pick exchange.

White was not the only former starter to be let go. Kyle Dugger, the longest-tenured Patriot and

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