The final installment of my roster evaluation focuses on the Defensive Backs.\u00a0 This is an overall strong unit with Devin McCourty and Stephon Gilmore leading the way. Pro Football Focus ranked them #5 in the league. \u00a0However, if one or the other were missing (injury or contract issues) then the depth will be tested, and from what we saw last year, not ready for prime time.<\/p>\n
Devin McCourty – <\/strong>Entering his 12th<\/sup> season in the NFL, the veteran Free Safety is the glue that keeps the secondary together.\u00a0 The former 1st<\/sup> round pick in the 2010 draft out of Rutgers converted from CB to Safety and has been a stalwart ever since.\u00a0 In 2011, McCourty was named a Captain and has been ever since.\u00a0 That attests to his leadership skill.\u00a0 The young players look up to him and his three Super Bowl rings.\u00a0 McCourty has been very durable over his career missing just 5 games and playing in all 16 games the last 5 consecutive years.\u00a0 The concern is his age.\u00a0 McCourty will turn 34 before the start of the season.\u00a0 We will watch to see if McCourty has lost a step in pre-season.\u00a0 I would not be surprised if this is his final year in the NFL.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Presently the Patriots have no clear backup at the Free Safety position.<\/p>\n Stephon Gilmore –\u00a0 <\/strong>Good news is that Gilmore reported on time for the Pre-season Training Camp.\u00a0 The bad news is that he has been designated as Physically Unable to Play (PUP).\u00a0 Gilmore is recovering from a thigh injury.\u00a0 The injury may have kept him out of OTAs and Mini-Camp, but the real reason is his unhappiness with his contract.\u00a0 In 2017 the Patriots signed the then Unrestricted Free Agent to a $65M contract with $31M guaranteed and an $18M signing bonus.\u00a0 This made Gilmore one of the highest-paid Defensive Backs in the league.\u00a0 He is in his last year of the front-loaded contract he signed and the value is only $7M.\u00a0 He compares what he is getting to other DBs and he is now ranked something like 13th<\/sup> in the league for the former Defensive Player of the Year.\u00a0 The two sides have been talking and it appears as if something will get done.\u00a0 The fact he is in camp is a great sign.\u00a0 What can you say about one of the premier shut-down corners in the league?\u00a0 \u00a0Gilmore helped the Pats win the Super Bowl in 2018 shutting down the Rams.\u00a0 In 2019 he was AP Defensive Player of the League.\u00a0 Durability was not an issue until last year when he missed 5 games.\u00a0 During the season Gilmore will turn 31.\u00a0 He is a 4 time Pro Bowl selection, 2-time All-Pro and he tied for the league lead in interception in 2019, the year he won Defensive MVP.\u00a0 Gilmore blankets the best receiver of the opposition, which allows for defensive flexibility for the remainder.<\/p>\n JC Jackson \u2013 <\/strong>The former UnDrafted Free Agent who signed a three-year deal worth $1.72M and a $10K Signing Bonus after the 2018 draft.\u00a0 Jackson was a highly recruited recruit at Florida who hurt his shoulder his freshman year and redshirted for that season.\u00a0 He was charged with armed robbery and was acquitted of those charges.\u00a0 The damage was already done and he left Florida.\u00a0 He signed with Riverside Community College but had all kinds of D1 interest.\u00a0 Eventually, he enrolled at Maryland and played the next two seasons.\u00a0 He declared for the draft, forgoing his last year of eligibility (a mistake).\u00a0 NFL teams didn\u2019t forget his troubles at Florida and passed on drafting him.\u00a0 Their loss and the Patriots gain.\u00a0 BB signed him to a three-year contract.\u00a0\u00a0 Jackson is a ball-hawk. \u00a0He has 15 career interceptions, many of which he undercuts the receiver.\u00a0 Jackson was called upon to be the number 1 CB when Gilmore was out and he didn\u2019t fare as well as he did covering the secondary receivers.\u00a0 The Pats offered him a Restricted Free-Agent, 2nd<\/sup> round tender, which amounted to $3.384M.\u00a0 He signed the one-year offer.\u00a0 He will be an Unrestricted Free Agent next year.\u00a0\u00a0 His 9 INTs last season were second to only Xavier Howards 10 for the league lead.<\/p>\n Kyle Dugger \u00a0– <\/strong>Lenoir-Rhymes, it runs off your tongue as one of the premier football factories in college football \u2026 NOT.\u00a0\u00a0 That is where Dugger played.\u00a0 DII Lenoir-Rhymes in North Carolina.\u00a0 Only three schools recruited him out of high school, one was DII, one was D III, and the third an NAIA school. \u00a0\u00a0By his senior year in college, everyone at the D II level knew his name.\u00a0 He once returned two punts for TD\u2019s within a 7 minute stretch of time.\u00a0 He was named the Cliff Harris Award winner for the best small-school defensive back in 2019.\u00a0 That got him a shot at the Senior Bowl at which he made the most of his time in practice, dominating the D I receivers he faced.\u00a0 He was one of the practice players of the week.\u00a0 Bill Belichick noticed as the 2020 Senior Bowl is one of the few if any he had attended in person in the last 20 years.\u00a0 At the combine, Dugger measured in at 6\u20191\u201d, 217 lbs, and ran a 4.51 40.\u00a0 His vertical leap of 42\u201d was the best of any secondary player and his 11\u2019 1\u201d Broad jump was third.\u00a0 The Broadjump measures his explosiveness.\u00a0 The Patriots traded out of the first round and into the 2nd<\/sup> round and took Dugger with their 1st<\/sup> selection Round 2 pick 37.\u00a0\u00a0 Dugger was my draft binky last year and I was hoping that the Patriots would do exactly what they did, trade back and take Dugger.\u00a0 I was afraid BB would not take a chance on a D II player.\u00a0 His selection was bold and it paid off.\u00a0 In 2020, he played in 14 of 16 games for the Pats and accrued 61 tackles as a mostly in-the-box safety.\u00a0 To play in 14 games as a rookie, coming from D II is quite the accomplishment.\u00a0 I expect big things from Dugger as he makes that big leap in his second season.<\/p>\n Jonathan Jones \u2013 <\/strong>Another Undrafted Free Agent, Jones enters his 6th<\/sup> season with the Patriots.\u00a0 Primarily the slot corner, Jones has excelled at covering the opposition’s slot receiver.\u00a0 These are players that are extremely quick and have multiple moves to get open.\u00a0 Jones sticks to them like glue.\u00a0 Last season was Jones best as he upped his tackle total for the season to 74, his career-best.\u00a0 That\u2019s an increase of 20 tackles over his previous high.\u00a0 It also represents the standard defense is now the Nickel with 5 Defensive backs.\u00a0 Jones has proven to be very durable the past 5 seasons, only missing one game.\u00a0 Not known as a ballhawk, Jones chipped in with 2 Interceptions last year.\u00a0 At 5\u201910\u201d 190 lbs, the Auburn product ran an official 4.33 40 yard dash (un-official 4.28) and pumped 19 reps of 225#s in the Bench Press. \u00a0That is exceptionally strong for a CB.\u00a0 Many think he may eventually replace McCourty at Safety. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the 10th<\/sup> best Defensive back in reception allowed.\u00a0 Jones is vastly underrated and unquestionably the best Cornerback 3 in the league.\u00a0 This starting 5 is one of the best secondaries in the league.<\/p>\n Adrian Phillips\u00a0 <\/strong>Played the hybrid Linebacker in the Dime package.\u00a0 This resulted in 97 tackles of which 64 were solo tackles.\u00a0 The 2020 Free Agent acquisition from San Diego was a key contributor to the Patriots defense.\u00a0 I see Phillips playing a similar role this season.\u00a0 The 29 yo Safety\/ LB stands 5\u2019 11\u201d, 210 lbs.\u00a0 A Texas Longhorn, Phillips ran 4.58 40 and 7.10 3 cone drill at his Pro Day. \u00a0\u00a0The Patriots tend to give Undrafted Free Agents an honest tryout.\u00a0 Although they didn\u2019t sign Phillips originally, he was a UDFA signee of San Diego in 2014.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Entering this season, the veteran has 7 accrued seasons in the NFL.\u00a0 Phillips played in all 16 games last year, bouncing back from an injury-plagued 2019.<\/p>\n Jalen Mills \u00a0<\/strong>Was a surprise signing in the Free Agent market.\u00a0 Entering the season, the biggest question is whether or not Stephon Gilmore would be on the team when the season started.\u00a0 It appears the Mills signing is for protection should Gilmore not be here.\u00a0 Last season the Eagles played Mills at safety.\u00a0 His combine time in the 40 was a pedestrian 4.61.\u00a0 At his Pro Day, he lowered that number to 4.48.\u00a0 He also had an excellent 3-cone drill time of 6.86.\u00a0 \u00a0At LSU, he played all 13 games as a true freshman, 13 more as a sophomore, and his junior seasons.\u00a0 However, he had a broken ankle and ligament damage that limited him to 7 games as a Senior.\u00a0 Many projected him to be drafted as high as the 2nd<\/sup> round but he fell all the way to the 7th<\/sup>.\u00a0 His best season for Philadelphia was the 2017 Super Bowl Championship season when Mills had 64 tackles and 3 Interceptions.\u00a0 The last two seasons have been injury-plagued which made Mills expendable.\u00a0 His nickname is the Green Goblin, after the Spiderman Villain.\u00a0 This is because Mills dyed his hair green.\u00a0 I would be surprised to see a repeat of this with the Patriots.\u00a0 Mills signed a 4 year, $24M contract and it would appear he would be the heir apparent to Devin McCourty. \u00a0\u00a0Let\u2019s see how he plays before coronate him as the starting Free Safety.<\/p>\n D\u2019Angelo Ross\u00a0 <\/strong>Was signed as a UDFA after the 2019 draft.\u00a0 <\/strong>He was put on IR and waived at the final cut down.\u00a0 \u00a0Immediately signed to the Practice Squad for the 2019 season.\u00a0 In 2020 he again was cut and signed to Practice Squad where he sat until the final game of the season versus the Jets. \u00a0\u00a0He was not active for the game and after the game, he reverted back to the Practice Squad.\u00a0 The New Mexico product signed a futures contract for 2021.\u00a0 The 5\u2019 8\u201d 190 lb CB must have impressed the coaches to be signed two years in a row and then invited to camp for a third.\u00a0 \u00a0He faces an uphill battle for a spot in the talented secondary.<\/p>\n Myles Bryant\u00a0 <\/strong>Surprised everyone in camp last year, making the team out of training camp.\u00a0 The Washington product was known for his coverage skills coming out of the Pac 10.\u00a0 At the combine, he ran a disappointing 4.62 40 (he was expected to run 4.5).\u00a0 The Patriots emphasized the 3-cone drill for DBs and WRs, and Bryant ran a very good 6.86.\u00a0 This showed his change of direction skills.\u00a0 Bryant appeared in 7 games last year, recording 11 tackles.\u00a0 Some of those appearances included playing at Safety, which I think will be his best position.\u00a0 I think he will make the team again, especially with the ability to play both the slot corner and safety.<\/p>\n Jojuan Williams \u00a0<\/strong>This is a make-or-break season for Williams.\u00a0 In the 2019 draft the Patriots traded up at the cost of their 2nd<\/sup> and 3rd<\/sup> Round picks to take Williams.\u00a0 At 6\u20193.5\u201d 212 lbs, Williams was expected to cover some of the bigger receivers in the league.\u00a0 He has yet to show the promise of being selected so high.\u00a0 In 2019 he saw action in 9 games on Special Teams but was a healthy inactive for 7 games.\u00a0 Special teams were once again his specialty in 2020, finishing with 12 tackles, 6 in the final game versus Jets.\u00a0 At Vanderbilt in the SEC, he played all 13 games as a true freshman.\u00a0 Finished his career with 119 tackles, 4 interceptions, and 30 Pass Break Ups.\u00a0 At the combine, he ran a disappointing 4.6 but his 3-cone of 6.92 was under the threshold of 7 the Patriots desire.\u00a0 It was hoped he would be able to cover TE\u2019s with his large frame, but we haven\u2019t seen that to date.\u00a0 He will be one to watch this training camp to see if he has improved and nail down a position on the team.\u00a0 As of now, he is on the bubble to make the team.<\/p>\n Dee Virgin\u00a0 <\/strong>Is going into his 4th<\/sup> season after spending his 1st<\/sup> year on the HOU Practice Squad and the next three with DET as a Practice Squad player in 2018 and 2020.\u00a0 In 2019 he played in 15 games on special teams with just 2 career tackles.\u00a0 The former West Alabama star is 5\u20199\u201d 185lbs.\u00a0 He signed with the Patriots for the last game of the 2020 season (Jets) but was a healthy inactive.\u00a0 He played for former Patriots coaches Bill O\u2019Brien and Matt Patricia.\u00a0 His role will be the same on the Patriots as a depth player for the Special Teams.\u00a0 I don\u2019t see any value in his skills as a DB and therefore will not be making the team unless there is an injury to one of the core special team players.<\/p>\n Joshuah Bledsoe <\/strong>was drafted by the Patriots in the 6th round in the 2021 Draft.\u00a0 I did not like this draft pick.\u00a0 Bledsoe is too slow to play safety in the NFL.\u00a0 I understand he has a reputation as a hard hitter, but if you can\u2019t catch up to the league’s speed, you are not going to hit anybody!\u00a0 Bledsoe will start the pre-season on the Non-Football Injury list.\u00a0 \u00a0At Missouri the 5\u201911\u201d, 204 lb safety played in-the-box Safety and excels in an aggressive downhill run-stopping style.\u00a0 He is good on underneath routes but doesn\u2019t have the change of direction skills to cover in man-to-man.\u00a0 There are no pro day or combine numbers for Bledsoe.\u00a0 He was exposed at the Senior Bowl practices by the elite WR\u2019s.\u00a0 He has too many TDs to targets over the 2020 season.\u00a0 Plays well on Special Teams.\u00a0 If he is going to make the team it will be on Special Teams.\u00a0 I believe the final three draft picks the Patriots chose were like taking Un-Drafted Free Agents.\u00a0 The Patriots had exhausted their list of players they would draft, and these players were taken rather than have to compete to sign them after the draft.<\/p>\n Michael Jackson \u00a0<\/strong>Has the rare combination of size and speed.\u00a0 At 6\u2019 1\u201d 210 lbs he ran a 4.45 40 at the combine.\u00a0 The Miami product also jumped 40.5\u201d in the vertical and had a 7.12 in the 3-cone drill.\u00a0 He has had a rocky start to his career, signing as a 5th<\/sup> Round selection by Dallas in 2019.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t make the final cut but joined the Cowboys Practice Squad for 8 games before Detroit plucked him for their 53 man roster.\u00a0 He played a limited role in one game for the Lions.\u00a0 In 2020 the Patriots made a Pre-season trade with Detroit for unspecified compensation.\u00a0 Jackson played well in pre-season but didn\u2019t make the team.\u00a0 He was signed by NE late in September for the Practice Squad and was activated for the last game versus the Jets.\u00a0 Jackson has the size and speed to play Safety which could be to his advantage.\u00a0\u00a0 He will have a hard time making the team.<\/p>\n Adrian Colbert\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>The 4-year veteran has bounced around the NFL going from starting Free Safety in SF to Practice Squad for three teams.\u00a0 Colbert, nicknamed \u201cthe Punisher\u201d accumulated 33 games played, 19 starts, and 93 tackles.\u00a0 The Patriots signed him in May 2021.\u00a0 The 6\u20192\u201d 205 University of Miami product ran a 4.48 40 at the combine. \u00a0\u00a0That was good enough to make him a 7th<\/sup> round selection by San Francisco.\u00a0 By the end of his rookie year, he was the starting Free Safety.\u00a0 In 2018 he was the starter for 8 games until a high ankle sprain put him on IR.\u00a0 Last season for the NYG he played well but then injured his shoulder and was put on IR.\u00a0 He returned for the final game.\u00a0 I want to see what he can bring to the table.\u00a0 A hard-hitting veteran safety could make the team, but it will be a dogfight for that last position.\u00a0 That last position usually goes to a player with Special Teams skills.\u00a0 So far I haven\u2019t seen that Colbert plays Special Teams.<\/p>\n I included Cody Davis <\/strong>in the Special Team position analysis.\u00a0 However, he can play safety if needed.\u00a0 In college, Davis was a terrific Safety at Texas Tech. The 4-year starter racked up 362 total tackles including 101 as a Senior.\u00a0 Davis may allow the team to keep only 3 true safeties on the final 53 man roster.<\/p>\n Morse\u2019s Morsels<\/strong><\/p>\n Why hasn\u2019t there been a bigger outcry about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers\u2019 hiding the fact that Tom Brady had an injured MCL all season?\u00a0 The injury was serious enough that he had surgery during the off-season. \u00a0If that was the Patriots we would be losing draft picks!\u00a0 With that said, Brady had an even more remarkable season if his MCL was torn.<\/p>\n Next Up \u2013 5 Things to Watch in Camp<\/p>\n Be sure to follow the NFL News section of Patsfans.com for all the up-to-date news coming from other team\u2019s camps.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The final installment of my roster evaluation focuses on the Defensive Backs.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":20570,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10],"tags":[44],"class_list":["post-37412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-patriots-news","tag-new-england-patriots"],"yoast_head":"\n