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New England Patriots 2021 defensive starters: Early projections & reactions

By Michael DeVito

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 06: J.C. Jackson #27 of the New England Patriots makes a catch during warm up before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on December 06, 2020 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 06: J.C. Jackson #27 of the New England Patriots makes a catch during warm up before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on December 06, 2020 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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New England Patriots
New England Patriots Davon Godchaux  (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

Projected starters: New England Patriots defensive line

The 2020 D-line was porous and poor. That’s enough to say about that. So, how does the unit look for 2021?

Simply put, the unit looks very, very good.

Back are two of the best of last season’s D-linemen. Lawrence Guy, a very steady solid performer signed after a look at free agency.

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In addition, Deatrich Wise Jr. also signed back on. They are two solid if unspectacular players. But, they will be on the team for sure.

Next, the Patriots went hard for defensive linemen in free agency. They had a tough time stopping the run lasts season never mind rushing the passer. They added three new guys to help out.

First, Davon Godchaux signed on from Miami. He’s a solid addition and should help in the run game. In 2019, Godchaux rang up 72 tackles and two sacks.

Those are Vince Wilfork-like numbers. If he can replicate his 2019 this season, he’d be a huge upgrade.

They also signed Henry Anderson from the Jets. A defensive end mostly, Anderson had a monster year for the Jets in 2018 with seven sacks and 35 tackles.

There’s a vague recollection in the back of my mind of his wreaking havoc on the Patriots a while ago. He seemed to do everything. If he can get back to that 2018 form, he’s a great addition.

The last significant addition is Montravious Adams who came over from Green Bay. Adams hasn’t shown much in his first four years in Green Bay but maybe the Patriots can unlock some talent.

Since we’ll limit the D-line to interior players or pure ends and exclude edge guys, the last mentionable is second-round draft pick, Christian Barmore.

Barmore is listed at 6′ 4″ weighs in at about 310 pounds.  He was projected by some to be a first-round pick but fell to New England who traded up to get him in the second round because of some non-playing issues.

As an interior D-lineman last season, Barmore racked up eight sacks and 37 total tackles. That was eight sacks for Alabama.

Not certain if any New England Patriots defensive lineman other than maybe Richard Seymour who notched that many in 2003 and 2008 have ever matched that feat. And Big Sey played on the end a lot.

If Barmore can approximate that type of production, he’ll not only justify the relatively high cost to New England to move up to get him but also be a real difference on the defensive front. His interior pass rush ability can help make lots of good things happen.

So, there are the key defensive linemen. The starters will likely be Guy, Godchaux, and Anderson in a 3-4. The grade here is a strong B+. if Barmore shows early, this could skyrocket to an A+ in a hurry. Let’s hope so.

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