New England Patriots: Why Brandon Copeland is an underrated signing

In signing with the New England Patriots, versatile veteran linebacker Brandon Copeland now calls himself a ‘legit player.”

The New England Patriots didn’t make a splash in free agency. In losing players like Tom Brady, Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins, the team obviously took some hits. But, what about the players they did add?

Obviously, none of the names the Patriots did sign this offseason jump off the page at anyone, but what Bill Belichick did was sign players who are versatile and who he believes can fill certain needs. One of those players is veteran linebacker Brandon Copeland who exemplifies everything Belichick loves in a player.

An undrafted player out of the University of Pennsylvania, Copeland has been with a few teams. But, as a journeyman has displayed versatility as a linebacker who can play defensive end and most importantly for a Bill Belichick team, special teams.

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Could he help fill the void left by Kyle Van Noy. It’s possible depending on how quickly he picks up the system and how much Belichick believes in his ability.

In speaking to the media via a WebEx call, just having the chance to play for the Patriots has him hyped up, ready and has heightened his self-confidence as a football player.

"“As a free agent, having an opportunity to be a part of this organization…the best way to put it is there are certain things in life where you have that tag line, so to speak, and you don’t have to explain anything else after that,” Brandon Copeland said, as transcribed by WEEI. “This is going into my fifth team, my eighth season in the NFL and once I told a couple of my buddies, ‘Hey, ya know, I’m playing with the Patriots now.’ Period. I hope this doesn’t come off as arrogant or anything like that, but it’s like at that point in time whoever I’m talking to understands that I’m a legit player. Just because you couldn’t even make it into this organization unless you were.”"

It is refreshing to hear those words and that impression from a player who was on the outside coming in, especially when it appears players may be shying away from the Patriot Way given the departures of superstars like Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski.

As hard as it is to play for Belichick, even those players have heaped on the benefits of learning from the future Hall-of-Fame quarterback. For a player like Brandon Copeland, having the opportunity to play for an organization he values as a dynasty is both motivational and a boost of confidence.

Again, he is not a player who excite fans in name alone, but he does have experience as a start as he started 10 games with the New York Jets in 2018. He’s agile, has some speed, has transitional size as a linebacker and by what he said in the WebEx call is buying in to what it means to be a Patriot.

And it is through his journey to the New England Patriots that classifies him as a type of player Bill Belichick values which will ultimately make him one of the underrated signings of the season because he is coming in with the attitude that he is willing to do whatever it takes , play whatever position to help the team win.

"“I’ll never turn down an opportunity to be on the field,” Copeland went on to say. “I’m looking forward to getting out there. I’ve had nothing but battles against the Patriots in the past on special teams. So I’m excited to be with the good guys, so to speak, and to go work with these guys.”"

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It is in those battles with the New England Patriots that makes Brandon Copeland an addition that we will look back at and say, “that was a good signing.”

In all, the 6-foot-3, 263-pound linebacker sounds ready to be a part of the team, ready to learn, sounds excited and also sounds like a player who will take on a leadership role. From undrafted to a key contributor on a Bill Belichick team. There would be surprise there at all.

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