We continue our training camp positional preview series by looking at the Patriots' edge players. It seems one of the better groupings on this roster, but there's reason to be cautious.
Signed: Matthew Judon, Keion White, Anfernee Jennings, Deatrich Wise, Joshua Uche, Oshane Ximines, William Bradley-King, John Morgan III, Jotham Russell
The biggest question that could linger into the regular season is whether or not Judon will remain in Foxborough. Remember, back on June 11th, when he appeared as a guest on WZLX's "The Rich Shertenlieb Show" with Rich, Michael Hurley, and yours truly, Judon said this when I asked if the two sides were close to a new deal?
"Bro, I'm in the building right now. We ain't far apart, you feel me. You've seen me with my helmet and jersey on yesterday. I'm not mad. You gotta hear it, like, I had a setback last year and I only got to play four games. And in that fourth game, we were getting our butt whooped.
"After that, I couldn't do nothing else about nothing else. So I'm trying to play football. I want to play football. That's what I've been blessed to do. I've been blessed to be really good at it. And so playing football is kind of what I really want to do. The money will come. It'll come if I'm good enough, right? If they value what I do."
Yet, over a month later, there's no new deal, and I've heard nothing that leads me to believe something is forthcoming. Will Judon be receptive to playing out the final year of his contract - he turns 32 on August 15th - with no promise of guaranteed dollars at the end of the rainbow? Or will he conduct another "hold in" and try to force the Pats to buckle or send him packing? Bedard opined on this last week, and my two cents is that I'd give Judon a healthy raise for this season, assuming I can get him to sign on for next season as well. Otherwise, he's gonna have to put his big boy pants on and deal with it unless Eliot Wolf finds a taker in exchange for a draft pick, preferably somewhere between rounds two and four.
Why would I prefer to keep him? Because Judon can still play. His numbers through three-plus games last year were on par with his previous season when he set a career-high with 17 sacks. The dude takes care of himself. He's not falling off a cliff. Not yet. Plus, Judon doesn't have to play every down with White and Jennings locked up. Call me crazy, but I like having those three in a rotation for the next couple of seasons. That way, Wolf can continue to rebuild the offense and not have to use a high pick next year on a pass rusher. Kick that can down the road if you will.
I don't see White's ascension - and the team strongly believes the second-year pro will make a leap - as an impediment to keeping Judon. They aren't apples to apples as players, and I don't believe they project to be. White is 290 pounds. Judon 265ish. While not bendy, Judon has a bag full of tricks. White is basically a one-trick pony at this juncture, and while he can go speed to power, he's not refined as a rusher, and I'm not sure his body type will allow that, at least not as someone who comes screaming off the edge. White strikes me more as someone who will kick inside on obvious pass-rushing situations and torment guards, a more athletic, explosive Deatrich Wise.
I am still trying to figure out what to think about Uche. He had that breakout season two years ago, which I've been predicting since he came into the league. He is built differently than the Pats' pass rushers, and the best he gets at the top of his rush is unlike any other on the roster. Yet when Judon went down in week four, Uche's playing time didn't increase. Instead, it decreased. He didn't strike me as a happy camper, and I was surprised he returned, reportedly for significantly less than he was offered elsewhere (I still haven't found that team/offer, though).
I had Uche for 35 total pressures in 15 games, although 14 came in the first three weeks (before Judon got hurt). That was 23 less than I had him down for the year prior, yet he played just 42 fewer snaps. Is he that dependent on having Judon or another top-tier rusher across from him? The evidence points to that being the case, though at $3 million for the year, we'll be looking at a highly motivated player angling for a long-term deal here or elsewhere.
Jennings was a bit of a revelation last season. He was finally healthy, nearly doubling his snap count and proving the team's best edge-setter against the run. He returned on a friendly team deal (3 years, $12 million, $5.5 million guaranteed), and I'm convinced the rest of the league fell asleep at the switch on that one.
Jennings should be a valuable piece for a defense that finally rediscovered its run-game chops after a few subpar seasons, but it's his growth in the passing game where Judon could be affected by the 2020 third-rounder. If the brass believes he's got more to show in that aspect than he has prior, then that would allow a harder line to be drawn with Judon and make it easier to move on. But while Jennings had a pair of sacks against the Giants, his pressure production was largely unimpressive, the same as the year prior. At 27, there's still room for growth, but how much?
That leads me to Wise. From the moment I saw him on the practice field in Foxborough for the first time, I wondered how the hell this guy - who looked like his knees were pointed in the wrong direction - would be able to play in the NFL. Now? He's entering year eight. For what Wise is and where he was selected (late 4th round), I'd say it's been a damn good run. But (you knew it was coming), I wonder if we saw the decline begin in earnest last season? It was a significant drop-off from the year prior, especially against the run. His snap count reflected that - 213 fewer plays than in 2023-24.
Is there still a place for Wise? He's in the last year of his deal and would cost $2.2 million in dead cap to walk away. Then again, the price to keep him isn't all that substantial, either. It's not like he stunk, and his professionalism is valuable. Is there value in keeping Wise aboard, or does his presence cut into White's snaps and development? Then again, even now, are there 50 or so players on this current roster better than him?
Beyond that, Ximines saw plenty of time this spring with the top group, although that was skewed by who wasn't there or wasn't participating when they were. He spent five years in New York with the Giants, but the 6'4", 253-pounder was nothing more than a replacement-level player and special teamer. Could he make a Mack Wilson-like leap? I'm dubious.
Russell is an interesting case study. He's part of the International Player Pathway program and is trying to convert from Australian rules football to the kind we are more familiar with. Russell is also a former gymnast. At 6'4", 239 pounds, he looked the part of a well-conditioned athlete this spring, but whether or not he can play is nothing we can deduce until camp, 1-on-1s, joint practice, and preseason football.