PATRIOTS’ POSITIONAL OUTLOOK DEFENSIVE BACKS
With training camp set to start this week, we’ll provide a position-by-position breakdown of where the Patriots stand. Today it’s the defensive backs.
ROLL CALL
Cornerback: Jack Jones, Jonathan Jones, Christian Gonzalez, Marcus Jones, Shaun Wade, Isaiah Bolden, Amer Speed, Quandre Mosley
Safety: Kyle Dugger, Adrian Phillips, Jabrill Peppers, Jalen Mills, Myles Bryant, Cody Davis, Brad Hawkins, Joshuah Bledsoe
BY THE NUMBERS
3: The number of defensive touchdowns scored by Dugger in 2022. He became the first New England player since 1970 with three defensive touchdowns in a season. (As a team, the Patriots had seven defensive touchdowns last season, and Dugger had a role in four of them.)
4: The number of interceptions registered by Jonathan Jones in 2022, a career high.
3,191: The number of defensive and special teams snaps Devin McCourty played over the last three seasons. (He led the team in defensive snaps played in that time with 3,078.)
The skinny: This has the most boom/bust potential of any area on the roster. Gonzalez is already in the Defensive Rookie of the Year conversation, Dugger is one of the best young safeties in the league, and the skill set and experience of veterans Phillips, Peppers, and Jonathan Jones means this group could have a very high ceiling.
That being said, the Patriots are relatively thin at both spots; it’s true across the league, but the Patriots really can’t afford to see one of their front-line defensive backs go down. In addition, the first year of the Post-McCourty Era could bring some missteps, from both production and leadership perspectives.
Jack Jones is facing gun charges and an uncertain future. The loss of him could lead to a domino effect, with Gonzalez pressed into service ahead of schedule against some of the league’s most elite passing attacks.
One important note: The speedy Marcus Jones, who ended up playing 370 snaps at corner last year, will likely be a part-timer there again, in addition to his special teams and offensive work. His presence also will provide muchneeded depth.
How this position rates vs. the rest of the league: At this point, it’s probably middle-of-the-pack, with the potential to reach the top 10. A quality start against receivers A.J. Brown, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and CeeDee Lamb (all of whom finished with more than 1,000 receiving yards in 2022) in the first four games of the season would go a long way toward silencing the critics. If the back end of the defense can get some help from the pass rush, that would be big.
Quote of note: “That’s the captain. For a long time, he was commanding the secondary back there. It was pretty much his room, and with him being gone, that’s a big void to fill. But the good thing is we [have] a lot of veterans back there, and we have guys who have played the game at a high level, so we understand what it takes. We know if Dev is gone, there’s going to have to be a level of communication from everybody that they necessarily haven’t had before.” — Phillips on moving on from McCourty. Biggest story lines: Is there someone capable of picking up McCourty’s mantle as a leader? What does the future hold for Jack Jones? And what’s a reasonable level of expectation for Gonzalez, who looked impressive in spring workouts?