Round four of positional previews for training camp. I covered the tight end group Tuesday, and ripped through the interior of the offensive line and safeties last week. Today, a deep dive on the inside linebackers, and a reminder, I will include OLBs and edges together down the road.
Inside Linebackers: Robert Spillane, Christian Elliss, Jack Gibbens, Jahlani Tavai, Marte Mapu, Monty Rice, Cam Riley
What I like about this group: Speed. To quote Mickey from Rocky, "Speed is what we need. Greasy, fast speed."
What I don't like about this group: Can they stand up to teams that will test them by going straight at 'em?
X-Factor: Mapu. If he can carve out a role as a passing game specialist, the Pats' defense will have something they haven't in a mighty long time. Like, maybe Tedy Bruschi in his prime (strictly vs. the pass. Don't misquote me).
How good this group can be hinges on Spillane. He may not have been their first choice in free agency (see Sherwood, Jamien), though that depends on who you talk to and when you talk to them. You can understand the logic. Sherwood is just entering his prime (He doesn't turn 26 until January). Spillane is either right in the middle of it or maybe just past the turn (he turns 30 before the season's end). I'm not worried about that as I head into the summer. He looks fast and in complete control.
The Titans and Mike Vrabel were the first team to give Spillane an opportunity as an undrafted free agent. Eight years later, the two men reunite.
"Just to be signed to be the middle linebacker here and to play meaningful snaps means the world to me," Spillane told WEEI's Ted Johnson. “I don’t want to let him down. He’s the type of coach that any player wants to play for. He encourages people to follow their dreams, to love their families, and to love football. What more can you ask for from a coach?”
That's all well and good, but what Vrabel will want from Spillane is the same guy who had 306 tackles over the last two seasons and showed moderate improvement in passing situations. The former Western Michigan product, who was recruited by Vrabel to Ohio State, has already assumed a leadership role and is wearing the green dot. He will be the connective tissue between the front and back ends.
Thus far, Elliss has been alongside Spillane in the base defense looks we saw during OTAs and mini-camp (Spillane is around 225 pounds, and Elliss is about five pounds heavier). The Pats signaled they had bigger plans for Elliss this offseason, matching the Raiders' offer sheet (2 years, $13.5 million). I'll admit to being surprised. I didn't think the young vet was in line for that kind of paycheck, but Vrabel and company saw enough on tape to extend themselves.
Elliss finished with 68 tackles and five passes defensed last year, essentially assuming a starting role after Ja'Whaun Bentley was lost with an injury in week two. He admitted that the contract brought him to tears, thinking about being cut five times before finally finding a home in New England.
Gibbens, or Dr. Gibby (Vrabel dubbed him that in Tennessee for his penchant for always having the right answers), made one of the single most impressive plays this spring. He was the pole runner in cover two and essentially carried Javon Baker 35-40 yards downfield. With the help of a safety, Gibbens squeezed off the wideout, leading to an incompletion.
I'd be lying if I said that was the Gibbens I remember from Tennessee, but proof that the litany of injuries that cost him seven games last season (ankle was the worst of them) are, for now, a thing of the past. His knowledge of the system, along with Spillane's, has led to "advanced" conversations in the linebacker room about different looks and approaches well before those subjects have been broached by the coaching staff.
That leads me to Tavai. I figured he was long gone after the regime change. However, the Pats chose not to cast him aside - at least not yet. There's sense in that. Tavai has started 44 of the last 51 games and was excellent in the 2023-24 season.
Last year was a mess, from being forced to play out of position after the Bentley injury to his tone-deaf comments about the fan base late in the year (and then playing martyr after the season finale). I don't have a strong sense of how Tavai was fitting in this spring. He suffered a calf strain on June 2nd, which is expected to hold him back until the start of training camp (and even then, I expect him to be a little behind in terms of conditioning). The 28-year-old appeared to have dropped some weight (he had played at 255), but we haven't had a chance to talk to him since January, so I'm not sure I can accurately cite his BMI. That might be TMI...
Mapu, as I listed above, is my X-Factor for this unit. He's talented and physical and has taken to playing linebacker this spring, albeit without actually seeing them in pads (a rather important aspect). However, he has had a litany of injuries, including heading into this spring. You have to wonder how much patience the Pats have for that now, especially when you consider there were folks in the organization who were gobsmacked that Belichick picked him in round three of the '23 draft (he was projected as a late, day-three guy).
But Mapu's wheels (sub 4.6 40) and his size (6'3", 230 lbs) present an intriguing defense to pass-happy NFL offenses. Chances are he was always going to be a niche player, so if that niche turns out to be a dime linebacker, there's value in that. I'm not going to "bet" on that - how could you with his track record? - but I'll be watching Mapu closely this summer.
Beyond that, Rice is another player with ties to Vrabel and Terrell Williams, having spent three years in Tennessee. He wasn't much of a playmaker there, but injuries forced him on the field quite a bit in '22, and he was an above-average run defender during that time and again during considerably fewer snaps a year later (he went for 366 to 86).
Finally, the 6'4", 228-pound Riley is an undrafted free agent who began his collegiate career at Auburn and then completed it at Florida State. His best year was his last: 47 tackles, 1 sack and 1 forced fumble.