New England Patriots: 3 Early breakout candidates on defense for 2020
While new faces flood the field for the New England Patriots in 2020, here are three players on defense that could be set to have breakout seasons.
Although there were some red flags and question marks that appeared on the offensive side of the ball for the New England Patriots during the 2019 season, one of the strong points for the organization was their defense on the other end of the field.
As the 2020 NFL season approaches, New England hopes to carry over that success to the upcoming year while continuing to work out the kinks of a now Tom Brady-less offense in Foxborough.
While having one of the top defensive units a season ago, the Patriots have experienced a decent amount of turnover among that group leading up to the start of a new era underneath head coach Bill Belichick and company.
During the offseason, key players such as defensive back Nate Ebner, linebacker Jamie Collins and linebacker Kyle Van Noy, among others, left the team via free agency or other avenues. Those departures will make it interesting to watch to see if the Patriots are able to return to form on defense to once again hold a top unit to match up against opposing offenses.
New England could look different on the defensive side of the field with a change in personnel as it tries to once again claim the AFC East for another year this season while attempting to make another postseason appearance following an early exit in the playoffs in 2019.
While a bulk of the new faces could come from players who were already on the depth chart, the Patriots also worked in trying to retool that dominant defensive unit this offseason through the 2020 NFL Draft and the undrafted free agency process.
While New England holds the toughest regular-season schedule of any team in the NFL this season, the new players inserted into larger roles will have a tough task right out of the gate to try and help their squad.
Before the upcoming season kicks off in 2020, let’s take a dive into three players on defense who could be due for break out campaigns this year in Foxborough.