New England Patriots: Breaking Down the Defensive Front

With the departures of Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner and Kyle Arrington this off season, the New England Patriots’ secondary does not exactly strike fear into opposing offenses. One thing is for sure, if the Patriots expect to continue to succeed defensively, they are going have to get a special effort up front.

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Fortunately, they made some key additions to the defensive line this off season who should make an immediate impact. When it comes down to it, this group may be up for the task of picking up the weight for the depleted defensive backfield.

When you think of the defensive line for the Patriots in the most recent years, the first name that comes to mind is probably Vince Wilfork, who plugged the middle of the Patriots’ defense for the last 11 years. The Patriots and Wilfork parted ways this off season, and it will be very interesting to see how the Patriots look to replace him.

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In recent years, we have seen the Patriots start to transition into more four-man defensive fronts. They are a hybrid defense, as we still see a fair share of three-man fronts as well, but there have been more and more four-defensive lineman sets in the gameplan as the years have gone on. This clearly helps ease the loss of Wilfork as he is much better suited as the nose in a three-man front as opposed to a defensive tackle in a four-man front. He can still plug up the lanes and take on blocks, but it is not as important with three other defensive lineman up there with him.

If everything breaks right, the Patriots would love to see Malcom Brown and Dominique Easley play a majority of the snaps together on the interior of the defensive line. Brown and Easley are the Patriots’ two first round picks from the past couple of years. If they can both stay healthy, the defensive tackle position would be in very good shape.

Aug 31, 2013; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators defensive lineman Dominique Easley (2) rushes past Toledo Rockets offensive linesman Robert Lisowski (57) during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Florida Gators defeated the Toledo Rockets 24-6. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

As far as healthy concerns, Easley is certainly a tricky case. The Patriots selected him in the first round last season, despite the fact that he was coming off of a second major reconstructive knee surgery. Easley appeared in only 11 games last season, and did not see much time or make much of an impact when he did play.

Easley is a very athletic defensive tackle with great quickness and explosiveness. His return from major knee surgery is clearly a concern, but there is a ton of upside here. He is a potentially great interior pass rusher who will make a serious impact if he is healthy.

The Patriots selected Brown with the 32nd overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, a selection that received much praise. Brown is a more traditional defensive tackle with a great combination of size, strength and quickness. He is a big, strong player who can plug up the line similar to Wilfork, but he has much more upside than that.

May 27, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft (left) and president Jonathan Kraft (right) pose with first-round draft choice defensive lineman Malcom Brown at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

Brown shows great explosion off of the ball, and can make plays in the backfield against the run and as a pass rusher. He also has a lot of upside on the interior, and will be a fine fit for the nose tackle position should the Patriots need one. Brown could be considered Wilfork’s replacement, but I expect the Patriots to use him in many different ways.

Guys like Sealver Siliga, Chris Jones, Alan Branch and Joe Vellano give the Patriots great depth on the interior as well. Brown and Easley make for a potentially dominant duo, but the others can make an impact as well.

On the outside, it has been a two-man show for the Patriots in recent years. Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich have been the top two outside pass rushers for the Patriots for the last few years. Both are talented, experienced and reliable, but the Patriots have severely lacked depth behind them. Whenever they were forced to bring either Jones or Ninkovich out of the game, the pass rush was usually non-existent.

With Revis and company moving on, the Patriots are going to have to keep Jones and Ninkovich fresh and healthy, while their replacements continuing to put pressure on the quarterback. Fortunately, the addition of Jabaal Sheard will allow the Patriots a ton of flexibility on the outside.

Sheard burst onto the scene with the Cleveland Browns as a rookie in 2011 with an impressive 8.5-sack and 40-tackle season. Sheard continued to impress as a second-year player, finishing 2012 with seven sacks and 38 tackles. The Browns made a coaching change the next season, and with it came a transition to the 3-4 defense from the 4-3. Sheard was now expected to lineup as a 3-4 outside linebacker, as opposed to a 4-3 defensive end like in the past.

Sep 8, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns linebacker Jabaal Sheard (97) chases Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) during the third quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

After the scheme change, Sheard’s production slipped, as he totaled only 7.5 sacks the last two years combined. He simply did not have the same explosive pass rush ability as an outside linebacker compared to when he had his hand in the ground. With the Patriots using a lot of four-man fronts these days, I strongly believe that Sheard will get back to his productive days this season. The Patriots know to play to his strengths as a defensive end, and his ability to rush the passer will be huge for the team as they can now give Jones and Ninkovich a breather whenever necessary.

The Patriots also drafted two players in the middle rounds of the draft who should be able to contribute immediately. Geneo Grissom is a very athletic player with a well-rounded skill-set and great versatility. He should be able to make an impact for the team as an outside pass rusher and stout run defender right away.

Trey Flowers is another interesting rookie who is primed to be an immediate contributor. Flowers is not as athletic as Grissom, but he is a very strong player with impressive short quickness. He has some versatility on the defensive line, and was a very important contributor to his team in college. The Patriots will be able to use Flowers in many different ways if he is needed.

A defensive line centered around Jones, Ninkovich, Sheard, Brown and Easley has a chance to become downright dominant. On top of that, the Patriots have great depth behind them should they need it. While the losses in the secondary will certainly be felt, if this defensive line reaches its massive potential, the defense as a whole would chug right along without any issues.

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