Young DEs making noise
Winovich, Calhoun stand out for Pats
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Two weeks into training camp, the picture is coming into focus.
Position battles are being sorted out. Players who once appeared to be buried on the depth chart are making noise. Surprise contributors are emerging.
It happens every summer in Foxboro.
Three years ago, linebacker Elandon Roberts – overlooked for most of camp – took the field with the starters for the all-important third preseason game. The rookie sixth-round pick stuck and eventually became a key player.
Two years ago, the out-ofnowhere defensive standout was undrafted rookie tackle Adam Butler, who earned playing time with the first unit in early August.
This summer, another defensive lineman – fourthyear pro Shilique Calhoun – is starting to turn heads.
Calhoun’s story isn’t exactly like that of Butler or Roberts. He wasn’t undrafted or taken in the late rounds. He was actually a third-round pick, selected No. 75 overall by the Raiders in 2016. But Calhoun was cut by the Raiders as he entered his second NFL season, and he spent the past two years bouncing between Oakland’s practice squad and active roster. He was unemployed for the entire spring, a late add in free agency after the draft had passed. Calhoun has zero career starts to his name.
In New England, he has the chance to rectify that.
“You can never have a fresh, new start, but it’s nice to come somewhere new and just have an opportunity for the most part,” Calhoun said following yesterday’s joint practice with the Lions.
Over the past few days, the 6-foot-4, 260-pound Calhoun has found himself on the field in sub-packages with Derek Rivers and Michael Bennett on the defensive line. He’s played primarily on the edge, utilizing an impressive combination of length and athleticism to get into the backfield.
“We definitely felt like he would have an opportunity to compete here, which he’s done a good job of,” said Patriots coach Bill Belichick. “There’s some other things that we’ve had to work through with him, but I’m glad we have him. He’s very competitive in his position.”
Calhoun followed up a terrific practice on Monday with another strong showing Tuesday. In a hurry-up 11-on-11 drill, he blew by Lions tackle Andrew Donnal for what would have been a sack of quarterback David Fales (defenders are not allowed to contact the quarterback in practice). It was his second straight day with a sack. Calhoun looks like he belongs with the top unit.
But the fourth-year defensive end cautioned that the first-team reps mean “nothing as of yet.”
“Right now, it’s just reps, it’s just rotation,” Calhoun said. “It’s just another opportunity. Right now, I could be with the ones. Next week I could be with the twos. I’m focused on getting better. It doesn’t matter what team I’m in on.”
As solid as he’s been the past few days, Calhoun is getting plenty of competition from the second-team edge defenders, particularly rookie Chase Winovich. The third-round pick out of Michigan lit it up at Tuesday’s practice, breezing past a Lions offensive lineman for an easy win in a 1-on-1 drill and then crashing the Detroit backfield for a sack of Matthew Stafford in 11-on11s. It may only be a matter of time before Winovich gets his shot with the starters.
“You really couldn’t ask much more from a guy that’s willing to do whatever and then with the way he does it,” said Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower. “He acts like he’s done it for a while.”
Winovich, who drew some cheers from Michigan fans after his dominant 1-on-1 rep, believes he’s making progress.
“I felt like I had a pretty good day today,” Winovich said. “But I’m sure they’re going to get it corrected and get it fixed, so I’ve got to keep bringing my A-game every day.”
The defensive end competition is one of the Patriots’ most unpredictable position battles. Michael Bennett can be utilized inside on passing downs, freeing up two spots on the edges. If the Pats don’t move Dont’a Hightower or Kyle Van Noy to the edge in passing situations, they’ll be picking between Winovich, Calhoun, Rivers, and veteran John Simon to fill the role. Deatrich Wise, who brings a different skill set, could also be in the mix.
It’s a wide open competition.
“What can I do to help the team? That’s how I’ve been proceeding throughout the practices,” Calhoun said. “(I’m) not worrying about the open competition…If they want me at outside linebacker, I’ll play outside linebacker. If they want me at nose, I’ll play nose. That’s it.”