PATS GAMBLE BIG ON JUDON
Will be highest-paid defender in team history
Matt Judon will soon follow a long line of great Patriots linebackers.
Bruschi. McGinest. Vrabel. Mayo. Hightower.
But before Judon takes a snap in New England, he will outrank them all.
Last week in free agency, Judon became the highest-paid defender in franchise history when he signed a 4-year contract worth up to $56 million, including $32 million guaranteed. That contract was the biggest bet the Pats placed in free agency. To validate his place among the aforementioned greats, the two-time Pro Bowler will need to separate himself ever further.
Prior to signing Judon, the Patriots hadn’t invested so heavily in an edge rusher in more than a decade. By himself, Judon could occupy as much as 8% of the team’s salary cap as soon as 2022. Historically, most edge defenders have barely sniffed 3-4%, which is why the Patriots have perennially ranked in the bottom 10 of the NFL in edge-defender spending.
So what changed? And why Judon?
Like most of the aforementioned ‘ backers, Judon is tough, versatile and productive, and he should play from a variety of alignments. At 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds, he primarily prowled the edge for the Ravens, but blitzed from everywhere. The Pats would cross-train him as an inside linebacker, depending on their level of confidence in their depth at the position.
Judon played 140 snaps inside over the past two seasons, per Pro Football Focus. Baltimore also dropped him into coverage roughly eight times per game, a necessary flexibility for Pats linebackers. Adding to his versatility, Judon is equally effective rushing from the left and right side, so expect Bill Belichick to move him all over his defensive front on passing downs.
“We’re going to get in there, and we’re going to figure out more,” Judon said Wednesday. “And whatever coach needs me to do, I’m willing to do.”
Of all his skills, Judon’s pass rush is the chief reason he’s here.
Only six teams finished with a worse sack rate last year than the Patriots, who were margin
Ally better at simply contacting quarterbacks, posting the nfl’s eighth-lowest qb hit rate. overall, their pass rush graded out as the 10th-worst grade at pff.
The design of belichick’s defense isn’t to tally sacks but squeeze pockets and affect passers. that’s what judon does best.
Over the past two seasons, both pro bowl campaigns, he tallied the secondmost qb hits in the league, trailing only t. j. watt. judon did benefit from a blitzhappy scheme in baltimore, where rushing the passer went hand in hand with lacing up your cleats. but he also produced at an elite level on a per-snap basis, hitting quarterbacks on 8.5% of his rushes, third-highest in the nfl. clearly, the pats took notice.
Judon hit tom brady six times in a 2019 meeting. last year, he notched a sack and one hurry in just five pass-rushing snaps at new england. he and belichick are just beginning to put their heads together for how he’ll be utilized.
“(belichick) gave an overview of the team and how they run things and everything. he just kept it very him, and it was funny, and it was good. that’s how he did it,” judon said of their first conversation. “obviously we’ll have a lot more conversations coming up.”
however, there are several small risks with judon, most tied to his contract.
The Pats Are Banking On Getting The Absolute Best Of Judon The Next Two SeaSons.
That’s The Only Way He Provides Value On His Deal, And If Regression Hits, He’ll Be Far Closer To Average Than All-pro. He Turns 29 In August.
The patriots are tied to judon through 2022 and likely 2023, unless they trade him that summer or release him with a post-june 1 designation to avoid sizable dead money. he boasts no elite skill, but few defenders across the nfl boast the all-around nature of his game.
That’s what the pats coveted. now, more than ever.