EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – NOVEMBER 26: Myles Bryant #27 of the New England Patriots, Jabrill Peppers #5 of the New England Patriots, and Ja’Whaun Bentley #8 of the New England Patriots celebrate after Peppers’ fumble recovery during the first quarter against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on November 26, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
On Tuesday, we took our annual look at position-by-position grades for the Patriots offense in 2023. Now, it’s time to tackle the defense.
The Patriots’ overall defensive ranking dropped in 2023, from 11th to 15th. Their points allowed went from 20.4 per game to 21.5 per game. However, there is some context that alters the perception of those numbers a bit.
READ MORE:
—Patriots have 24 pending free agents heading into 2024 offseason
—Brenden Schooler named NFLPA All-Pro
—The clock is ticking for two top prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft
In some ways, the Patriots’ 2023 defense was hurt by the struggling offense and special teams. Impacted highly by the Patriots’ three-and-out rate (2nd-highest in the league) and turnover rate (8th highest in the league), the Patriots’ defense had the worst average starting field position in the NFL. Opponents started on average at the 31.7 yard line. For comparison, the Patriots’ offense started on average at the 26.2 yard line.
Those short fields let to a good number of the Patriots’ allowed scoring drives. 23.4 percent of all of their scoring drives against came off of turnovers, which ranked third in the NFL.
One area the Patriots improved was against top quarterbacks. In the past, many pointed to the Patriots’ success as a product of facing a weak quarterback schedule. This year though they held some of the best in check. Per Evan Lazar of Patriots.com, the Patriots allowed an 89.1 passer rating and 6.8 yards per attempts against the combination of Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa (two games), Dak Prescott, Josh Allen (two games), Justin Herbert, and Patrick Mahomes. Against everybody else, those quarterbacks combined for 7.5 yards per attempt and a 96.6 passer rating.
That’s not to say the Patriots’ defense wasn’t without its issues. What worked? What didn’t? Let’s get into the grades (midseason grades can be found here)…
Defensive line: A-
![Dec 24, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore (90) reacts after a play ]in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports](https://985thesportshub.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/88/2023/12/USATSI_22172527-1.jpg)
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY SportsDec 24, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore (90) reacts after a play ]in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
A year after defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington got defensive coordinator interest around the league, his position group was the best on either side of the ball for the Patriots.
The group was led by Christian Barmore, who – finally fully healthy – had a breakout season in his third year in the NFL. Barmore was among the best interior defensive linemen in football. He ranked tied for 14th among players at his position with 49 QB pressures this year, and was tied for fourth with 40 run stuffs.
Week after week he was a factor and made his presence felt against some of the best offenses in the league. As he enters a contract year, getting him an extension should be a top priority.
This was also a solid year for Davon Godchaux. While Godchaux didn’t have some of the numbers Barmore did, his ability to take up space allowed Barmore and others the freedom to make plays.
One player who took advantage of that freedom was Anfernee Jennings, who also had a breakout season. After two years as a rotational player and a third missing an entire season, Jennings made the most of the first contract year of his career. Serving as the Patriots’ primary strong side edge setter he was reliable and effective, finishing fifth among NFL edge defenders with 46 run stuffs.
The defensive line also saw promising play from rookie second-round pick Keion White. White started the season on a high note before being sidelined with a concussion in October. Once he returned he started to make plays, and was especially effective over the final month. He’ll head into 2024 with momentum and should be in line for a bigger role in his sophomore season.
Midseason grade: B+
Linebackers: B
Billie Weiss/Getty ImagesFOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – JANUARY 07: Ja’Whaun Bentley #8 of the New England Patriots and Mack Wilson Sr. #3 of the New England Patriots celebrate after a sack in the first quarter at Gillette Stadium on January 07, 2024 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images)
It was a weird year for Patriots linebackers. Players expected to produce big didn’t while others not expected to have major roles grew into them.
Take Mack Wilson, who was the biggest success story among this group this year. Last year he was only used as an off-ball linebacker and struggled. This year the Patriots expanded his role with success, as he became somewhat of a jack-of-all-trades for the defense that had him in a key rotational role through the end of the year. In particular, his ability as a pass rusher to spy or corral athletic quarterbacks added a much-needed dynamic to the Patriots’ defense.
Meanwhile, Josh Uche took a step back in what was supposed to be a big year. Uche finished the 2022 season on a tear with 11.5 sacks over the final 10 games. Coming into camp the thought was Uche would continue that momentum into 2023 – a contract year – and secure himself a big payday this offseason. Instead, Uche failed to make the same kind of impact as the primary rusher with Matthew Judon out for most of the season. His totals dropped from 12 sacks last year to three this year, and from 56 QB pressures in 2022 to 37 in 20203.
Constants among the Patriots’ linebackers this year were veterans Jahlani Tavai and Ja’Whaun Bentley. Tavai finished as PFF’s 4th-highest graded linebacker. He showed improved coverage skills, and in an increased coverage role had a career-high five pass breakups, with multiple of those leading to turnovers.
Bentley led the team with 114 tackles. As the Patriots shifted to a quicker, lighter defense late in the season he was used more to rush the passer and had some success in doing so. He finished the season with a career high 4.5 sacks, and doubled his previous season-high for QB hits, going from six to 12.
Midseason grade: B-
Cornerbacks: B-
Eric Canha-USA TODAY SportsSep 10, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones (31) prepares for a game against the Philadelphia Eagles during the warm-up period at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
The Patriots’ initial plan at cornerback – specifically boundary cornerback – didn’t last more than halfway through the season. After a promising start, rookie Christian Gonzalez suffered a season ending injury in Week 4. Jack Jones was benched after being late to the team hotel before a game, and soon after that was cut. In order to add depth the Patriots traded for J.C. Jackson in October, but he struggled on the field before having to step away from the team.
Given all of that, the Patriots still ended up getting relatively solid play from their corners. Myles Bryant help up surprisingly well playing regularly on the boundary for the first time in his career.
The Patriots also got a boost from late-season signing, rookie Alex Austin. Austin, who was a seventh-round pick by the Bills, was on the field 62 percent of the time in his five games with the Patriots. He recorded two pass breakups and a pick, and his 79.2 passer rating against was second-best among the team’s cornerbacks for the entire season, only behind Gonzalez. He should be back in camp next year with an inside track on a roster spot.
It did help that the Patriots did have one veteran holding things together in Jonathan Jones. For the second year in a row Jones served as a steadying presence for the Patriots’ secondary, and proved once again he can play full time on the boundary.
Midseason grade: C-
Safeties: B-
Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY SportsNov 5, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers (5) celebrates after a play against the Washington Commanders during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports
The highpoint for the safeties this year was the emergence of Jabrill Peppers. Not only was Peppers a top-two player on the defense along with Barmore, he was also one of the best safeties in the NFL. The Patriots had him playing everywhere and going everything, and he delivered in just about every role.
Over 15 games Peppers played 424 snaps as a safety, 267 as a linebacker, 134 as a slot corner, 80 as a boundary corner, and 50 lined up directly on the line of scrimmage. He made plays as a pass rusher, in coverage, and against the run.
With Peppers shining as the Patriots’ utility safety, Kyle Dugger was moved to more of a free safety role taking on many responsibilities opened up by the retirement of Devin McCourty. Early on that role looked to be an adjustment, but he did have a few promising games later in the year. Still with Peppers under contract and Dugger set to be a free agent, it’s a fair question as to whether the Patriots should re-sign him, or go after a true free safety with less overlap in skillset.
Beyond Peppers and Dugger, the Patriots didn’t involve their other safeties much in 2023. Jalen Mills and Adrian Phillips both saw reduced roles, while rookie Marte Mapu didn’t get much defensive playing time at all until a limited role late in the season.
Midseason grade: C+
Special teams: D+
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY SportsNov 12, 2023; Frankfurt, Germany; New England Patriots punter Bryce Baringer (17) and place kicker Chad Ryland (37) react after a missed field goal against the Indianapolis Colts in the second half during an NFL International Series game at Deutsche Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Once again, it was a rough year for the Patriots’ special teams units. Moving Joe Judge back into the special teams room and rebuilding the personnel didn’t change much, as the team finished 28th in the league in special teams DVOA.
A major part of the problem? Penalties. The Patriots committed 17 special teams penalties this year, which was second in the NFL behind only the Green Bay Packers. Four of those penalties came from Brenden Schooler, who ranked second in the league in that category for individual players. He also tied for the league lead in missed special teams tackles, with eight.
As for the Patriots’ rookie special teamers, it was a tough first year for kicker Chad Ryland. He finished 16-of-25 on field goals, with his 64 percent hit rate ranking last among qualified kickers. Those misses included some makable kicks – he missed two of seven kicks from the 30 to 39-yard range, and five of 10 from the 40 to 49-yard range. On top of that he missed two potential game-winning kicks, including a 35-yarder against the Giants.
Punter Bryce Baringer found more success as a rookie. 38.8 percent of his punts were downed inside the 20-yard line, which ranked 13th in the NFL. His touchback percentage of 8.2 percent ranked 22nd, and he finished with a net average of 40.8 yards per punt. If he cuts down on his occasional shanks next year (he had three punts from his own end of the field travel less than 30 yards) he’ll have a chance to be among the best punters in the league.
The one other positive for the Patriots’ special teams units this year was the late emergence of Jalen Reagor as a kick returner, highlighted by his kick return touchdown to open the Week 17 Bills game. Reagor is a pending free agent, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him back in camp competing for that role next year.
