New England Patriots: 3 interesting position battles on defense
New England Patriots position battle No. 2: Defensive tackle
It was hard to miss the Pats interior line getting torched week after week last season. It seemed like every running back in the league was finding ample room to operate against New England, and it was one of the bigger reasons this team lost nine games last season. That shouldn’t be an issue this season though.
The defensive tackle position is a completely new look unit that should be a major improvement from last season. Headlining the group is Lawrence Guy, who was a stalwart at the position last season. The Pats run defense looked completely different when he was on and off the field.
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After him, it’s pretty much a free-for-all. Davon Godchaux and Christian Barmore and probably the only other locks at this position, but after that it’s really up for grabs. Guys like Montravius Adams, Nick Thurman, Carl Davis, Bill Murray, Akeem Spence, and Byron Cowart are the other guys looking to find a spot at the position, and that’s going to lead to some tough cuts.
It all is going to end up on how many players end up sticking afterwards. They only really need one more guy here, but could probably end up with two or three more if needed. Guys like Thurman, Davis, Murray, and Spence are probably more likely to end up on the practice squad at this point, leaving Adams and Cowart to compete for what will most likely be the last spot at this position.
Adams was brought in through free agency this offseason, while Cowart probably has the most experience of the group in the Pats system behind Guy. It’s going to be a very close call between the two.
Ultimately, both could end up not making the roster, or both could end up making it too. If I were a betting man, I’d go with Adams to stick considering they shelled out some money to bring him in. There are a lot of unknows at the position, so it will be interesting to see who ends up sticking from the group, if anyone.