2017 Patriots position-by-position review: Eventful season for Pats' defensive backs

With the Patriots’ 2017 season done, we’re going to take a look back at the team by position, and provide a few thoughts as to what the future might hold at that spot moving forward. We’re on to the secondary.


2017 depth chart (regular-season stats via Pro Football Reference): S Devin McCourty (77 tackles, 1 INT, 5 passes defensed), S Patrick Chung (67 tackles, 1 INT, 9 passes defensed), S Duron Harmon (16 tackles, 4 INTs, 7 passes defensed), S Jordan Richards (20 tackles); CB Malcolm Butler (55 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 sack, 12 passes defensed), CB Stephon Gilmore (47 tackles, 2 INTs, 9 passes defensed), CB Jonathan Jones (33 tackles, 1 INT, 8 passes defensed), CB Eric Rowe (13 tackles), CB Johnson Bademosi (15 tackles). CB Cyrus Jones spent the year on injured reserve. (For purposes of this exercise, we’re going to include part-time defensive backs like Nate Ebner and Brandon King under special teams, which will run later in the week.)

Contract status: McCourty (signed through 2019), Chung (signed through 2018), Harmon (signed through 2020), Richards (signed through 2018); Butler (free agent), Gilmore (signed through 2021), Jonathan Jones (signed through 2018), Rowe (signed through 2018), Bademosi (free agent), Cyrus Jones (signed through 2019).

Overview: The safety play was relatively steady for much of 2017, but the cornerback spot was an almost weekly drama. Butler and Gilmore both had up-and-down years; while Gilmore ended the year trending in the right direction -- and played a large part in the defensive improvement over the course of the season -- the way it all came apart for Butler at Super Bowl LII was a downbeat finish for the corner who enjoyed a remarkable career arc with the Patriots. Expect the cornerback group as a whole to take one step up the depth chart this offseason, with Jonathan Jones being the likely successor to Butler. (Butler told me this year that Jones reminded him of the way he played when he first came into the league. If he can have that same sort of snap-to-snap intensity, that’ll be a good first step.) At safety, even with a subpar Super Bowl, expect status quo moving forward. McCourty, Harmon and Chung are a really steady group. If used properly, they’ll be an important part of the foundation of the New England defense moving forward into 2018.



Best Moment: From a technique and fundamental standpoint, there were probably a handful of better play-to-play performances. But given the circumstance and what was on the line, this was not only the biggest play of the season from the secondary, but one of the biggest plays of the season for the roster as a whole. Gilmore knocks away a fourth-down pass attempt for DeDe Westbrook, and the Patriots escape the AFC title game with a narrow win. The play marked something of a redemption for Gilmore, who had an up-and-down start to his New England career, only to end the season on an up note.



Worst Moment: If we’re talking about how the secondary was utilized and not so much execution, we’ll go with the Super Bowl. No Butler, Chung being matched on slot receivers instead of the tight end, the decision to use Richards as much as they did, the decision to play sides instead of man for portions of the game … take your pick. (It must be said that Gilmore had himself a really good outing in the Super Bowl, helping neutralize Alshon Jeffery.) Bottom line? It was unfortunate to see a group that had taken great strides all season long as a group finish the year on that sort of note.

By the numbers: Ten of Harmon’s 14 career interceptions have come in the fourth quarter. That includes a fourth-quarter pick of Ben Roethlisberger in the dramatic Dec. 17 win over the Steelers. Super Bowl LII was the first time the Patriots lost a game where Harmon had an interception — overall, they’re 13-1 in games where Harmon has an interception.

A few thoughts about the position: After the 2007 season, Asante Samuel was gone so quickly he left tire marks in the Gillette Stadium parking lot at the start of free agency. (He was holding his introductory press conference in Philly less than 24 hours into free agency.) I don’t think Butler will break that mark, but he might come close. That’ll leave the Patriots with a combo of Gilmore, Rowe and Jonathan and Cyrus Jones as the core, with the likes of Bademosi (if he sticks around) filling out the back end of the depth chart. I think at least one of the Jones’ will be able to make the leap in 2018, but that still leaves things a little thin at corner. Look for an addition via the draft or free agency. (More on that in a second.) When it comes to safety play, I know you might want to cover your eyes if you go back and rewatch the Super Bowl, but given the track record of the three veterans, that was an aberration.

Chance Patriots address this position in free agency: Average. There might be a few intriguing options out there who could become available through veteran cuts — including the wish-upon-a-star possibilities of Richard Sherman and Aqib Talib — but a lot would have to happen for those deals to go down. A middle-of-the-road pick from this group might be the most realistic course of action at this point, as they look to bolster cornerback depth while adding via the draft.

Chance Patriots address this position in the draft: Good. Several mocks have the Patriots looking cornerback somewhere in the first two rounds, with multiple people saying UCF’s Mike Hughes is a possibility for New England at the end of the first. It’s also worth noting that with McCourty and Chung now 30, it’s time to start planning for the next generation of New England safeties. It’s not a wildly pressing need, but will be sooner rather than later.