 Kyle Arrington has spent this week expanding his role in New England's defense. (USA TODAY Images) |
One of the sure ways to solidify a role with the Patriots is to be a player who isn't afraid to fill multiple needs and it appears Kyle Arrington is getting the opportunity to increase his value to New England's defense.
Arrington has been a player who has played both inside and outside in New England's secondary since becoming a starter and has improved quite a bit in the past couple of seasons. Now it appears he's getting some work in at safety after spending some time there this week.
Bill Belichick had some praise for Arrington this week and feels he can play anywhere.
"I think Kyle has a really good skill set to play anywhere [in the secondary]," Belichick said via the Boston Globe. "He's fast, he's tough, he's a good tackler, which your safeties need to be, but I'd say it's even more important at safety. He tackles well, he runs, he's a very athletic player."
The veteran defensive back, who is one year into a four-year deal, is in a secondary that is pretty crowded at the cornerback position and that situation only appears to be potentially getting more complicated following last week's performance by Malcolm Butler, who played well during the Patriots first preseason game. Butler finished the night with two passes defensed along with six tackles and overall has looked pretty solid to this point during training camp.
With Arrington getting reps at safety, it gives New England some added depth in the event of injuries to Devin McCourty or Duron Harmon and it will also be interesting to see how things shake out when the team makes their final roster decisions in terms of who they keep and whether or not Arrington can fill the role of two players.
For now he's garnered enough respect from his coach and teammates for his ability to step in when called upon, with Devin McCourty noting that Arrington's experience being moved around has made him a smart player.
"I think he's smart," McCourty said via the Boston Herald. "I think he understands the defense on the whole. The way he plays, he can fit in at safety. He can fit in at corner. He's an aggressive guy. He always plays physical.
"I think him being able to play inside and outside has given him more understanding of the defense, so it allows him to do more things now that coach asks him to do."
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