CAN D REPEAT AS NFL’S BEST?
Secondary among the best, but LB jobs are open
Welcome to 10 Patriots training camp questions!
Each day leading up to the start of camp, the Herald will explore one of the biggest questions facing the Pats this summer. Several pertain to the offense, which held the team back in 2019 and will feature a new quarterback this season. Others cover the defense and special teams, units whose success should hinge on the play of a few players and/or positions.
Once the Patriots hit the field, here’s what they must learn before the 2020 season kicks off.
Can the defense repeat as the NFL’s best?
The last memory of the 2019 Patriots defense was a seemingly hopeless unit in the Wild Card round, a condemned building to Derrick Henry’s wrecking ball.
The truth was, the Pats were far from condemned that miserable night in Foxboro. They allowed only 14 offensive points to the Titans and successfully shut down a more dangerous passing game around Henry’s body blows. It was an extension of their regular season, the most dominant defensive showing in the NFL and one of Bill Belichick’s best during the era.
Short-circuiting opposing passing games was their chief objective throughout the year, and it should again be top priority in 2020.
Aside from Duron Harmon, the NFL’s best secondary is back in New England. The room has also added safety depth, via free agent Adrian Phillips and top draft choice Kyle Dugger. Young cornerbacks J.C. Jackson and Joejuan Williams can be expected to make leaps in their third and second seasons, respectively.
Besides rolling out the same secondary, what can the team do to recapture their old No. 1 ranking?
Frankly, a lot. Perhaps too much.
Over the past 25 years, only the Seahawks have led the NFL in scoring defense in back-to-back seasons. In a few months, the Pats will open a far more treacherous schedule than they faced last season. The odds, in every sense, are against them.
Fortunately for the Patriots, a return to top-5 form should be enough to found another competitive season. Cam Newton will unlock new dimensions to the offense, and the other pieces around him should take strides after a disappointing 2019 campaign.
The defensive strides the Pats must take are almost exclusively in the front seven. Linebackers Chase Winovich and Ja’Whaun Bentley are the favorites for two open starting spots, despite playing fewer than 30% of the team’s defensive snaps a year ago.
Winovich is the new key to the Patriots’ four-man rush. On the edge, it’s essentially him, two rookies and a collection of cast-offs. The Pats generate terrific scheme pressure, but at some point your best pass rushers simply have to win 1-on-1.
Up front, defensive tackle Adam Butler is projected to assume a larger role after serving as a pass-rushing specialist in his first three years. New nose tackle Beau Allen must replace Danny Shelton. Again, depth is sparse here.
At least on the second level, inside linebackers Bentley and Dont’a Hightower should have help. Veteran safety Patrick
Chung took more snaps in the box than any other position on the field the past two seasons. Hampered by injury, Chung’s impact was limited in 2019 and his statistics and Pro Football Focus player rating plummeted. Phillips and Dugger should shoulder some of the load there this season.
Overall, the secondary should paper over most of the Pats’ early-season shortcomings and allow newcomers and young players to grow into their roles. Later, the health and development of those players should make or break the defense.
Unlike past seasons, when the Patriots fielded some of the oldest defenses in the league, this season hinges on the old and new and how fast they can assimilate after the strangest offseason in NFL history.