Bill Belichick raised eyebrows when he had significant praise for second-year quarterback Mac Jones. When he spoke about defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, the eyeballs simply exploded.

Or maybe the explosion happened when news came out on Godchaux’s two-year extension with the Patriots, which is worth up to $20.8 million with $17.85 million guaranteed at signing. The deal actually saves the Patriots a bit of cap space for 2022, but to them, that’s probably a side benefit. This is a massive vote of confidence in Godchaux on the field.

The contract spoke for itself, but Belichick took it a step further when asked about Godchaux’s extension during his press conference Thursday morning. It was surprising that Belichick spoke about a contract at all, considering the Pats have yet to report it themselves. But it was shocking to hear such high praise for Godchaux from the head coach.

“He’s one of the best defensive linemen in the league,” Belichick said. “Glad we were able to work that out with Davon and Drew Rosenhaus. Obviously both sides are happy, contract’s signed, you know. Go forward.”

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The reason Godchaux’s extension seemingly came out of nowhere is because of the Patriots’ run defense, which ranked 22nd in yards allowed per rush (4.5). They allowed the 13th-most rushing attempts, a relatively high number for a team that finished above .500 on the season.

However, this contract is a strong indication that Belichick and the Patriots don’t think the run defense issues were Godchaux’s fault. Then again, Godchaux didn’t seem to do much to mitigate the damage. He did lead all Patriots defensive linemen in snaps (639) and total tackles (65), and registered five QB hits, one sack, and one forced fumble.

Godchaux has played a lot of nose tackle in his career to this point, but the Patriots may have found a better home for him as a 5-technique or 3-technique, which is a defensive end in a 3-4 alignment. Think Ty Warren. Godchaux lined up that way at times later in the 2021 season, and has expressed confidence in his ability to make a three-down impact.

“I feel like to be a good D-tackle you got to first be able to stop the run,” Godchaux said after practice Thursday. “No good D-tackle is just going to be a pass rusher. He has to have some disruption in the run, because it’s also the run. But if you can’t stop the run, I feel like you can’t pass-rush.

“So I feel like my guys like, [Matthew] Judon, my guys like [Josh] Uche, setting up them guys, third and long, like that, of course with Lawrence Guy, Christian Barmore, all my other guys. It’s not just me, but I do consider myself one of the best defensive linemen in the league.”

FOXBOROUGH, MA – JULY 29, 2021: Davon Godchaux #92 of the New England Patriots talks during a press conference during training camp at Gillette Stadium on July 29, 2021 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)

Nothing wrong with that. Every player in the league should believe they’re one of the best. But is he? Obviously, Belichick is willing to put that opinion out there.

Godchaux doesn’t necessarily have to be even one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL to justify the contract. But he’ll need to produce, and certainly help improve the run defense. Maybe throw in some added QB pressure, while we’re at it.

This isn’t the first time the Patriots gave a curiously large sum of money to a player who had yet to exhibit that kind of value. They signed right tackle Marcus Cannon to a five-year extension worth $32.5 million during the 2016 season, which Cannon capped with a second team All-Pro nod. But up until that year, Cannon had started only 19 of 65 career games.

This is a similar spot for Belichick. He’s now banking on Godchaux proving him right. The hope is they can mold him into a solid three-down defensive end, a role they’ve struggled to fill since moving to more 3-4 looks up front.

Godchaux and Barmore are virtually locked in as starters on the Patriots’ defensive line. They’ll be players to watch more closely when they wear full pads for the first time in next Monday’s practice on Aug. 1.

Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @realmattdolloff. You can also email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.