With the Patriots’ 2018 season done, we’re going to take a look back at the team by position, and provide a few thoughts as to what they might need at that spot moving forward. So far, we’ve put the offense under the microscope, as well as the special teamers. Our defensive snapshots kick off with the defensive line.
2018 depth chart: Defensive ends Trey Flowers (57 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 9 tackles for loss), Deatrich Wise (30 tackles, 4.5 sacks), Adrian Clayborn (11 tackles, 2.5 sacks), John Simon (17 tackles, 2 sacks), Derek Rivers (2 tackles, 1 sack), Keionta Davis (6 tackles); defensive tackles Lawrence Guy (59 tackles, 1 sack), Danny Shelton (21 tackles), Malcom Brown (39 tackles), Adam Butler (17 tackles, 3 sacks), Ufomba Kamalu (1 tackle).
Contract status: Flowers (free agent), Wise (signed through 2020), Clayborn (signed through 2019), Simon (free agent), Rivers (signed through 2020), Davis (signed through 2019), Guy (signed through 2020), Shelton (free agent), Brown (free agent), Butler (signed through 2019), Kamalu (signed through 2020).
Overview: There were times where this group was really good, like down the stretch and into the postseason. There were also times where they really struggled. I know you take the first four games of any New England season with a grain of salt, but they were dominated in September in Detroit. (Part of that was because there was no Flowers in that one, but you understand what I’m saying.) There was also an alarming run in early December where New England couldn’t stop a stiff breeze, let alone a consistent rushing attack — you have to put all stats in some sort of context, but from mid-November through mid-December, the Patriots allowed an average of 133 rushing yards per game. It’s debatable how much of that was personnel (Shelton was in and out of the lineup) and how much was poor complementary football, but it was ugly for the defensive line through this stretch.
But that all changed in the playoffs — again, stats in context and all that — but the D-line deserves a sizable amount of credit for yielding just 40.6 rushing yards per game in the playoffs against teams that featured Melvin Gordon, Tyreek Hill and Todd Gurley II in the backfield. That’s good. The Patriots also did a really good job getting home when it came to pressure. This wasn’t all the defensive line, but their 10 playoff sacks were nearly a franchise record for most sacks in a postseason. (Only three other New England teams had more in their respective playoff runs.)
Flowers has evolved into such a perfect fit for what the Patriots want to do defensively. Agile and quick enough to rush the passer from the edge and strong and stout enough to play the run if he’s over a guard, his versatility, smarts and overwhelming physical prowess (one scout I spoke with called him “country strong”) make him a near-perfect defensive lineman for New England. Paired with the criminally underrated Guy, and that’s a really talented duo. There will be movement around them, but if you can figure out a way to get them slotted into place for the next few years, you have the starting point for a terrific defensive front.
By the numbers: 1.8 - The difference in the yards per carry allowed for the Patriots when it came to the regular season (4.9 yards per carry, 29th in the league) and the postseason (3.1 yards per carry, best of any AFC playoff team that played a minimum of two postseason games).
A few thoughts about the position moving forward:
As is the case at a few other positions this offseason, a large part of what happens with this positional group in 2019 hinges on one player … in this case, Flowers. He’s the first piece of the offseason puzzle, and while it won’t be cheap, he should be the franchises’ No. 1 priority. You pair him with Guy, and you have one-half of a really good front four moving forward. They also have decisions to make on the likes of Clayborn, Shelton and Brown, three big bodies who could very well end up elsewhere in 2010 given their up-and-down performance in 2018.
Beyond that, there are a handful of younger players New England has to make a decision on, second- and third-year defensive ends like Wise and Rivers and Davis who have flashed occasionally, but need to display more consistency moving forward if they want to be more a part of the rotation. (Depending on what happens in free agency, their chance could come this spring.)
Two other guys who could get more reps in 2019: Simon (if he re-ups) and Butler. Neither are Pro Bowlers, but Simon was a smart in-season pickup last year who proved to be a quality depth addition at defensive end and provide some good special teams value. (If he does return, a full offseason in the system will be a huge benefit for the veteran.) And Butler, who began his career as mostly a pass-rush specialist, appeared to get more chances against the run in 2018 than he did as a rookie. He could get more work on first and second down if he continues to trend in the right direction.
And finally, I’m going to be fascinated to see how this group responds to the loss of popular position coach Brendan Daly, who took a job with Kansas City. Daly had won the respect of the defensive linemen over the last four years with his passion and his smarts, so much so that some of them pushed for him to get the DC job. I’d expect Bret Bielema to become the new defensive line coach — the former Arkansas coach guided Wise and Flowers as collegians.
Chance Patriots address this position in free agency: Good. They always seem to add at least one big body every offseason. Sometimes, it ends up being a sizable move — like Guy a couple of years ago, or Andre Carter. Sometimes, not so much (Albert Haynesworth, etc.) But they always seem to find a big guy who is on the second half of his career who has made a few bucks, and is looking for a ring to add to the resume.
Chance Patriots address this position in the draft: Good. As Dan Hatman told us here, the Patriots are one of the smarter teams in the league for a few reasons, including the fact they know its important to build a team from the trenches on out. The only question is what sort of priority they’d put on landing s defensive lineman. If they lose Flowers, and Shelton and Brown walk in free agency, I’d expect it to be sooner rather than later. But the thinking is they’ll add a big body at some point on draft weekend.