# Henry McKenna: McKenna argues Christian Gonzalez is the best cornerback in the NFL and deserves a contract exceeding Devon Witherspoon's, and he expects Josh Metellus to step into the retired Harrison Smith's role as the Vikings' communicator/starter in the secondary. He was unimpressed by Ty Simpson's easy preseason debut and alarmed by Cam Ward's poor showing, though he stopped short of concrete season claims about either. **Claimed:** Aug 17, 2026 **Pundit:** Henry McKenna — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/henry-mckenna **Outlet:** Fox Sports — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/fox-sports **How it reached us:** published in writing **Original:** https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/rams-ty-simpson-preseason-success-titans-cam-ward-calamity 2 checkable claims — 1 depth chart call and 1 positional finishe — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet. It names 4 players and teams, each linked to their own record. None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in. Of the 1 unsettled call enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room. > The underlying takeaway is that Gonzalez is among the best cornerbacks in the league. (And from my vantage point, he's the best.) *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Josh Metellus to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Josh Metellus, Minnesota Vikings - Verdict: not settled yet - **Christian Gonzalez to finish top 1 at his position, by interceptions** - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Christian Gonzalez, New England Patriots - Verdict: too vague to check ## Who this take is about - Josh Metellus — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/josh-metellus - Minnesota Vikings — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/vikings - Christian Gonzalez — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/christian-gonzalez - New England Patriots — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/patriots ## What others said about the same people - Trevor Ripley on Max Brosmer: Ripley expects Max Brosmer to return to the Vikings on the practice squad after being waived, and thinks Dillon Bell may draw waiver interest but is also a practice squad candidate for Minnesota. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/529718b4-3310-4bc4-949a-09c9600f3c48 (scored 0) - Adam Carlson on Max Brosmer: Carlson argues that after a poor preseason showing, quarterback Max Brosmer should be cut by the Vikings, with the team then weighing a practice squad spot for him. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/0bca24b3-254a-4507-8c8e-65733ef0af1a (scored 0) - Chris Long on New England Patriots: Previewing Week 2, Long called New England a spot to bounce back against Pittsburgh, projected a 27-14 Patriots win, saw Eagles-Titans as a 23-10 grinder, liked the Rams' spot Monday night against the Giants, and wrote down a Bills 31, Lions 23 final for the Thursday nighter. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/ab903e00-9f1b-4862-91a6-96343679649c (scored 100) - Green Light with Chris Long on New England Patriots: A co-host floated Week 2 final scores — a 17-13 Patriots win over Pittsburgh and a 27-10 Rams win over the Giants on Monday night — plus a Bills 34, Lions 26 Thursday night score, and referred to Joey Porter as a soon-to-be New York Giant. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/46e7ae3b-cc96-4521-972c-7090a967e636 (scored 69.05) - Chris Simms on Minnesota Vikings: Simms went through the entire Week 3 slate with straight-up winners and predicted final scores, taking Jacksonville, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Detroit, Houston, Carolina, Kansas City, Seattle, the Giants, Baltimore, New Orleans, Minnesota, San Francisco, Denver and Philadelphia. He also expected Zay Flowers and Puka Nacua to sit, Kyler Murray to play, and said Marvin Harrison Jr. projects as no better than a good No. 2 or high-end No. 3 receiver. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/662b7ba3-1bf6-4ad0-9f93-9f2ab83143fd (scored 90.48) - Sam Monson on Minnesota Vikings: Monson picked the Chargers to beat the Bills outright (jokingly crediting Buffalo's gray 'Nickel City' jerseys), took the Vikings to win outright in Tampa, and said Seattle would destroy Washington. He also reiterated his Super Bowl pick of Denver over the Rams, called the Dolphins destined for the No. 1 overall pick, and said the Saints are a worst-to-first candidate in the NFC South. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/0b810ffd-fd93-4ea2-a208-b1353dea5fb0 (scored 100) ## More depth chart calls The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Garrett Podell on Case Keenum: Podell ranks all 32 current NFL starting quarterbacks entering Week 3 of the 2026 season, with Josh Allen first, Patrick Mahomes second and Case Keenum last. He also expects Kyler Murray and Michael Penix Jr. to return to action in Week 3 and Case Keenum to possibly start for the Bears. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/0e92b59e-0dd1-43c3-80c1-6551a8b641ac (scored 100) - Fox Sports on Case Keenum: A roundup of NFC injury news expects Jameis Winston to start for the Giants in any games Jaxson Dart misses, and suggests third-stringer Case Keenum could end up starting for the Bears against the Eagles in Week 3 with both Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent sidelined. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/3aff6d9f-b997-480e-b323-740b6a4677ed (scored 100) - Fox Sports on Case Keenum: With Caleb Williams injured and Tyson Bagent in concussion protocol, third-string quarterback Case Keenum is expected to start for the Bears against the Eagles in Week 3. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/7726bb2f-b9aa-4c35-aa7b-e0b49990e867 (scored 100) - Pat Fitzmaurice on Jonah Coleman: In his Week 3 waiver column, Fitzmaurice makes several depth-chart calls around injuries: Jonah Coleman leading Denver's backfield, Marcus Mariota taking over in Washington, Michael Penix Jr. starting once healthy, and Malik Washington serving as Miami's top receiver, plus availability expectations for Detroit's injured safeties. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/2cbd48f6-15ea-4aa5-84bc-bcc50d94d09a (scored 0) - Fox Sports on Michael Penix Jr.: Fox Sports states that a healthy Tua Tagovailoa will serve as Atlanta's backup quarterback in Week 3, with Michael Penix Jr. handling the starting duties against Green Bay. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a90e69a8-707f-43e9-a63e-cdb3e7bd0829 (scored 100) - Matt Severance on Deshaun Watson: The CBS Sports preview backs Tampa Bay to beat Cleveland in the Bucs' Week 2 home opener, and states that Deshaun Watson — not Shedeur Sanders — will be Cleveland's starting quarterback in Week 2. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/944568ce-7205-409f-8354-a392016fd8bf (scored 100) --- Accuracy is 0-100 against what actually happened. The naive guess is what a strategy requiring no knowledge would have scored on the same call — the difference is the skill, and it is what the MissedTakes Score averages. Full method: https://missedtakes.co/methodology We summarize what a pundit said and quote a short span for attribution; we never republish their article. If this is wrong, tell us: https://missedtakes.co/corrections?pundit=henry-mckenna