Pats Pulpit
The latest edition of our Patriots mailbag answers questions about the defensive front, rookie class, and more.
With the main core of the roster now set after a busy offseason, the work turns to the practice fields for the New England Patriots. As the voluntary offseason program rolls on, rookie minicamp begins Friday as the start of OTAs are in the distant future.
So, let’s talk about it all and get right into this week’s #PostPulpit mailbag.
I keep thinking “this defense can be elite, IF it holds up against the run.”
How do you see the run D working in the new scheme? Do they have guys who can set the edge, and are they beefy enough in the middle? - ed.liebfried
The big thing with the new-look, more aggressive run defense is they might be more boom-or-bust. By attacking single gaps you hope you make more plays in the backfield for a loss, but that also leaves the door open for chunk gains with more execution.
Personnel wise, I think they are set up well — especially if Christian Barmore is healthy. While his work as a pass rusher headlined his breakout campaign in 2023, Barmore also took a massive step forward against the run. It will also be interesting to see what version of Milton Williams they get after he was one of the more efficient interior run defenders in football in 2023 but took a step back last season as his pass rush numbers skyrocketed. Much of that seemed to be due to his role in the Eagles’ defense, however. And as for beef, they did add 340-pound Khyiris Tonga.
Along the edge, Anfernee Jennings remains one of the best run defenders in football at the spot and Harold Landry still has plenty of early-down ability.
This offseason has seen additions at all three levels of defense, in particular, bringing in CB Davis to play opposite Gonzales and with Epps and Woodson likely upgrading the deep safety role. With that in mind, do you see the Pats’ committing more players to attacking the line of scrimmage more often than in recent seasons? - wrw921
As touched above, they will definitely attack more with the expected scheme change from two-gapping to a more penetrating one-gapping style. As for blitzes, Tennessee’s defense primarily relied on creeper pressures, where an unexpected rusher from the backend would rush while someone up front drops in coverage to maintain numbers. They used those looks at the 11th-highest mark in the NFL in 2023.
It’s also worth noting that Terrell Williams had a year in Detroit last year where the Lions ran a blitz-man scheme. With Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis in his secondary, perhaps Williams takes on more of that approach in New England.
Based on last year, which position group do you predict to improve the most this season? - twentyeighttothree
The defensive line. Even if Christian Barmore isn’t ready to go, I have a hard time seeing the...
