The New England Patriots were busy this offseason. In addition to bringing in a new head coach and a pair of new coordinators, the team also made several, seemingly now forgotten, signings. It started with bagging perhaps the biggest free agent on the market in Milton Williams. Shoring up a few other positions lead to a defensive depth chart that popular NFL analyst Ted Nguyen believes is primed for a breakout.
“With two excellent corners, a strong four-man rush, and two playmaking safeties (Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger), the Patriots are well-built on every level,” Nguyen writes. “This could be the unit that makes the biggest jump this season.”
Christian Barmore Is Back Healthy With Retooled Defensive Line
In a very unexpected turn, Christian Barmore missed 16 games last season thanks to issues with a blood clot. This felt like adding insult to injury on top of Jerrod Mayo’s first iteration of a head coaching job. Barmore was one of the Patriots strongest defenders in 2023.
“In 2023, when he was just 23 years old, Barmore was quickly becoming one of the most disruptive tackles in the league,” Nguyen continued. “He had 8.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, and 16 quarterback hits.”
Add $104 million dollar defensive tackle Milton Williams to the mix with a developing Keion White, and New England has a core they can hang their hat on. Also in the mix will be two free agent edge rushers. The old pupil of Mike Vrabel’s eye in Tennessee, Harold Landry, as well as former first round pick who has struggled to get it going in the NFL, K’Lavon Chaisson.
“The Barmore and Williams pairing will be a terror for offensive lines, but there are some questions on the edge,” Nguyen writes. “If the interior rush reaches its potential, whoever plays edge will have advantageous angles to the quarterback. One of the edge defenders has to elevate their game for this defense to reach its ceiling.”
Linebacker Robert Spillane Is Hidden Gem
Robert Spillane has put together a better NFL career than most want to give him credit for. In his six years in the league he has amassed 497 tackles and six interceptions. In his two years in Vegas, Spillane averaged 153 total tackles and 2.5 picks a year.
He was recognized as a captain of his last team, the Las Vegas Raiders. But they were unable to keep the traditional second level linebacker when the Patriots outbid them and inked a three-year, $33 million deal. Representing a rangy, sideline to sideline tackler in the middle of this defense, Spillane could easily lead the Patriots in tackles in 2025.
“New England added and promoted faster, more compact linebackers to aid in both the pass rush and run defense — headlined by former Las Vegas Raiders’ defender Robert Spillane,” writes Mike D’Abate of SI. “His skill set, along with his leadership abilities could end up paying greater dividends than originally expected.”
Oh, And They Signed Carlton Davis Too
Addressing all three levels and winning Patriots fans over while doing it, Vrabel has completely flipped this defense on it’s head. The Pats already had one of the best cornerbacks in the league in Christian Gonzalez. Adding the underrated shut down corner Carlton Davis feels like gluttonous hoarding.
At just 28-years-old Davis’ biggest problem is his health. He is yet to complete a full season since arriving in the NFL. If the Pats can get 17 games out of him, this defense is looking scary.
“The Patriots also paired their young star corner, Christian Gonzalez, with an accomplished veteran in Carlton Davis,” Nguyen wrote. “Davis will be hard to beat for offenses attempting to throw away from Gonzalez. Having two excellent corners is a luxury most teams don’t have.”
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