The New England Patriots need a massive restructuring after a disappointing 2020 season. The interior defensive line is mediocre and changes must be made.
Mercifully, the 2020 New England Patriots season is over.
The Patriots missed the playoffs for the first time in over a decade and won a meaningless game against the even more hapless Jets to finish a dismal season.
Lots of blame will go to Cam Newton, and before evaluating the defensive line, let it suffice to say that this blame is nothing but scapegoating.
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Newton was not responsible for this poor performance. It resides squarely on the horrible performance by the team’s personnel operation and the coaching staff who did almost nothing to provide Newton with the tools he needed to be successful. If they had, this team would have been better, and yes, very likely a playoff team.
The New England Patriots interior defensive line underperformed if they sought to be a playoff team. The pass rush was poor and the run defense wasn’t much better.
If this squad seeks to move back into AFC East contention, changes have to be made, a lot of them to get better.
At present, they are poised to be just as mediocre next season without major and that means multiple changes in the offseason. Fortunately, there are free agents on the squad and the Patriots have the opportunity to move on from these players if they so choose.
If they want to restructure the club to again compete and more importantly, be relevant in the AFC East first and then hopefully, at some point in the future, beyond just the AFC East, lots of work needs to be done.
The Patriots offseason in 2020 in the defensive line had limited activity. They let a solid performer, Danny Shelton, who it was said here before had Vince Wilfork-like statistics in 2019 leave in free agency. (Ironically, Shelton’s production fell off dramatically in 2020. Go figure.
The run defense suffered as a result, big-time. They didn’t replace him at all. This defensive line needs a complete revamp. It’s not likely to happen with the Patriots’ personnel operation, but it should. And that’s just a piece of the puzzle.
New England has to take not only incremental but dramatic steps this offseason not just to restructure the team but to totally overhaul it from top to bottom. This is not a question of tinkering with the roster in any way shape or form.
So let’s explore the situation along the defensive line.
New England Patriots: Who stays, who goes – Lawrence Guy, defensive tackle.
New England Patriots defensive tackle Lawrence Guy has been a solid performer for Bill Belichick since coming over from Baltimore four years ago, he’s been a solid performer averaging about 57 or so tackles per season.
He’s an unrestricted free agent now and the Patriots have to make a decision on this solid but unspectacular player.
Guy will be entering his year 31 season in 2021. He made $4.3 M in 2020. That’s a significant allocation to a good but not really good player. The Patriots will need to replace this production if they decide to let Guy walk.
Guy’s cap number should be dramatically reduced if he is to be re-signed by New England. The Patriots’ most urgent general need its accumulate massive cap space to sign better players. Guy’s sack total is 7 or so in four years. Not exactly great statistics, even for an interior defensive lineman in New England’s scheme.
The New England Patriots should move on and try to fill the hole on defense with current roster players or from the outside. There will likely be little drop-off in play. Alternatively, add those resources elsewhere to bolster a team that needs a massive infusion of talent almost everywhere to again compete even in the AFC East.
New England has to take a new look at its personnel this offseason, more than any in the past two decades. In order to improve this team, they need to have the goal of improving every position on the squad.
To do so, Lawrence Guy should be allowed to depart for hopefully greener pastures. Unless he is willing to take a significant pay cut to remain, which is unlikely, the decision is clear.
Lawrence Guy goes.
New England Patriots: Who stays, who goes – Adam Butler, Defensive Tackle.
New England Patriots defensive tackle Adam Butler had a combined total of 30 or so tackles and 3 sacks in 2020.
Not exactly off-the-charts production. Like Lawrence Guy, he’s a decent player but he’s not going to make you think about Aaron Donald at all. Butler is an unrestricted free agent like Guy. He’s in a somewhat similar situation to Guy but he’s not as accomplished a player.
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A defensive tackle in a defensive line that didn’t really impress at all, there’s not much to lose by cutting ties with Butler in the offseason. Adam Butler seemed to be a rising star at times during his first season in New England but he never really made the step to the next level.
Butler could still be a backup if he were to sign a contract for short money with New England in the offseason. But he’s not much more than that, a backup.
The problem with New England’s defensive line is that there are too many players who are at the level of backups and really none who are not only not great performers, but really not even really good players either.
Adam Butler is a decent player but nothing special. If he’s cheap to re-sign, fine, as a backup, maybe. But players at the level of Butler are not going to take the Patriots from near the bottom of the AFC East to the top. Not hardly.
In all, Butler is a serviceable NFL player but you’re not going to excel with him on your defensive line as a major contributor.
Adam Butler goes.
New England Patriots: Who stays, who goes – Deatrich Wise, Defensive end.
Deatrich Wise, Jr. is a hybrid defensive tackle/end with decent statistics, 45 total tackles or so, and 2.5 sacks.
Like Adam Butler, Wise is a decent back-up level defensive lineman. Nothing more. Nothing less. That situation is the defining characteristic of the New England Patriots defensive line, they’re decent but nothing special.
Now, few teams can have standout players at every position in on any unit. Just not happening in the current NFL. But many if not most, will have at least one or maybe two players who are more than just another guy-type player.
No defensive standouts for the New England Patriots
The problem with New England’s defensive line is that there is no player there who is a standout. Guy comes closest to a really good player, but no one else is even close.
Wise is another of those players who is just a decent, average, certainly NFL-level player but he’s not going to evolve into a star or close.
The Patriots have to move on from this level player if they are to emerge once again as a premier NFL team. Deatrich Wise is OK maybe, as a back-up, like Butler, but if you aspire to again rise to the highest echelons of the NFL you need better in your starting players. If you are metaphorically hitching your horse to a player at this level of ability you are going to be disappointed.
The imperative for the New England Patriots is to get better, as their coach Bill Belichick is wont to say. And that means better at every positional unit before they can aspire to again compete in the AFC East.
Wise goes.
New England Patriots: Who stays, who goes – Byron Cowart, Defensive tackle.
Byron Cowart is a second-year player for the New England Patriots.
Cowart didn’t do much of anything last season his first in New England. This season, he has some impact with 27 or so tackles and a sack. That’s not much for a player that started 13 games. If this is starting to sound familiar, it is.
Musket Fire
It basically exemplifies the Patriots’ defensive line outside of Guy. They are there. They play. But they don’t really produce much at all, nevermind excel, and become difference-makers. They are anything but, even Guy, who is the best of the bunch.
Bryon Cowart is a lower draft pick who is another of these players who may be an NFL-quality player but will never really be what you are looking for in your defensive linemen. It’s called production. You really can’t expect too much from payers at the level of a Cowart. Occasionally they deliver the goods you’d hope, but it shouldn’t be expected.
If the Patriots are really looking to have an impactful defensive line they either have to draft a top defensive lineman or two high or sign one in free agency.
Cutting ties with a lot of older high-priced players and non-productive types will allow you to sign a couple or maybe a few impact players. One position in which they need to do just that is on the interior defensive line.
Byron Cowart is a decent roster-type player. He’ll never be a star but can be a back of the rotation type who fills a backup spot.
But if he is called upon to start games (13 or 14 this season) in the future, the Patriots’ defensive line will continue to be mediocre, at best. This team has to move on from mediocrity to draft or sign in free agency players who will perform up to a championship level. Right now on the defensive line, they don’t have that level of player.
Bryon Cowart probably stays.
Appendix:
Beau Allen.
Beau Allen was brought in ostensibly to replace Danny Shelton and his previously-mentioned excellent production at nose tackle in 2020. Allen was paid nearly $4M in 2020 and never played a snap due to injury. Seems the Patriots can save a decent amount on the cap (about $2.85M?) by parting ways. This should be among the easiest calls on the roster.
Beau Allen goes.
Next up, the Linebackers/Edge players.