Pats Pulpit
The New England Patriots did not give Milton Williams a four-year,$104 million contract this offseason to use him in the same role the Philadelphia Eagles had between 2021 and 2024. During his four seasons in the City of Brotherly Love, he started only 21 of 77 games and averaged below 50 percent of defensive snaps every year.
If his first game as a Patriots is an indicator, those days are over. In its season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders, the team of head coach Mike Vrabel used the high-priced free agency pickup as a starter and three-down contributor. As such, Williams ended the game with new career highs in total defensive snaps (49) and playing time share (78%).
The unfamiliar workload did not prove to be a problem for the 26-year-old. Williams was one of the Patriots’ best players and finished with four tackles and quarterback pressures each.
“I thought Milt was disruptive and had some really good plays,” Vrabel said on Monday. “I think that when he sees how he can mix his penetration in with playing with his hands and playing with some technique and those things all factored, then he’ll start to finish more. But I thought he showed well and continued to go.”
Here is our full snap count report from the Patriots’ 20-13 loss at Gillette Stadium.
Total snaps: 71 | Time on the field: 28:42
QB Drake Maye* (71; 100%), LT Will Campbell* (71; 100%), LG Jared Wilson* (71; 100%), C Garrett Bradbury* (71; 100%), RG Mike Onwenu* (71; 100%), RT Morgan Moses* (71; 100%), TE Hunter Henry* (66; 93%), WR Kayshon Boutte* (58; 82%), RB Rhamondre Stevenson* (46; 65%), WR DeMario Douglas (45; 63%), WR Stefon Diggs* (40; 56%), WR Mack Hollins* (38; 54%), RB TreVeyon Henderson (25; 35%), TE Austin Hooper (23; 32%), WR Kyle Williams (7; 10%), RB Antonio Gibson (5; 7%), FB/TE Jack Westover (2; 3%)
*denotes starter
At least as far as personnel usage is concerned, the Patriots offense looked as expected on Sunday. Drake Maye and the starting offensive line — a unit featuring rookies Will Campbell and Jared Wilson at left tackle and left guard, respectively — went wire-to-wire. The supporting cast surrounding New England’s starting quarterback also included all of the familiar faces you would expect.
Still, there are a few things that standout. For starters, there was a clear pecking order at running back: veteran Rhamondre Stevenson and second-round running back TreVeyon Henderson were the one-two, with Antonio Gibson little more than a depth option. Given that the Patriots struggled to move the ball on the ground, however, one is left wondering if decreasing Stevenson’s snap count in favor of the more elusive options on the roster — Henderson in particular — might have brought more success.
Additionally, Kayshon Boutte led the wide receivers in snaps and likely would have had an even higher share if not for a brief injury scare in the first quarter. Furthermore, both of Jack Westover’s...
