New England Patriots: Trey Flowers, Elandon Roberts are huge bargains
By Duncan Day
New England Patriots’ Trey Flowers and Elandon Roberts are great bargains for head coach Bill Belichick in 2017.
Bill Belichick unearths the players that the New England Patriots require to win under his direction. That action has worked out in his favor so many times over the years.
Based on the performances of inside linebacker Elandon Roberts and defensive end Trey Flowers in 2016, the shrewd spending of Belichick persists. Roberts and Flowers, both key contributors to the Patriots defense, each had salary cap hits of under $700,000 in 2016 and will have less than $800,000 individual cap hits in 2017, per Spotrac.
The Patriots took Flowers in the fourth round out of Arkansas in the 2015 NFL Draft. Months before at the NFL Combine, he was the top performer for defensive lineman in the vertical jump (36.5 inches), broad jump (121.0 inches) and 60-yard shuttle (12.03 seconds). Flowers was also second-team All-SEC in 2013 and 2014.
Flowers was billed as a “high-motor power end,” according to his NFL.com Draft Profile, able to control the end at the line of scrimmage, both in the running and passing games. However, coming out of college, he wasn’t regarded very much as a pass rusher, and his fast-twitch athleticism was viewed as subpar.
After combating injuries during his rookie year, Flowers rose to prominence in the 2016-17 regular season and playoffs, recording 69 tackles and leading the Patriots in sacks (9.5). Jon Gruden of ESPN’s Monday Night Football said Flowers was New England’s best defensive player following a Week 14 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, per NESN.com.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
One of Flowers’ most memorable moments surfaced when he drilled Matt Ryan to the turf with 3:56 left in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LI, moving the Atlanta Falcons away from field goal range.
Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema, while coaching Wisconsin, got a firsthand look at Houston Texas defensive lineman J.J. Watt and thinks Flowers mimics some of Watt’s proclivities, via WEEI.com:
"“I will say this — I’m cautious to compare anyone to J.J. Watt, but Trey’s mentality and his work ethic and his attitude is like J.J.,” Bielema said. “They have a similar approach to the game. Trey just goes hard, especially when the situation is biggest.”"
Meanwhile, for the Houston Cougars, Roberts led the FBS with 88 solo tackles in 2015. His 40-yard dash time (4.60 seconds) at his pro day in 2016 would’ve ranked first among inside linebackers at the Combine. His height (6-0) and change-of-direction capability worried NFL teams in the draft, enough for him to drop to the sixth round.
The Patriots’ rookie totaled 45 tackles in the 2016 regular season, the second-highest total in the team’s linebacking corps behind only Dont’a Hightower. As a run stopper, Roberts substantiated his appeal with downhill aggressiveness, stuffing opposing running backs short on multiple occasions. Stout goal-line work alongside defensive tackle Vincent Valentine, per The Boston Globe, put Roberts in the postseason spotlight.
The offseason acquisition of New York Jets veteran David Harris delivers a veteran presence that a young player like Roberts may reap rewards from. Roberts had a 71.5 run-defense grade in 2017, the fifth-best amidst 22 rookie linebackers, via Pro Football Focus. The 33-year old understands the running game especially well, so the ex-Houston Cougar has a reason to listen to the newcomer.
Next: NFL 2017: The 50 most untradeable players
Improve in 2017. That’s the ambition for Roberts, Flowers and the entire squad. And in the Belichick and Patriots way, they’ll have the chance to do so on bargain deals.