The Patriots spent heavily on the defensive side of the ball this offseason, signing the likes of defensive tackle Milton Williams, linebacker Robert Spillane, cornerback Carlton Davis, and pass rusher Harold Landry. Landry and Williams have been standouts in the first two games, with Landry recording 10 pressures and 3.5 sacks and Williams tallying nine pressures and two sacks of his own.
Spillane, on the other hand, has not quite had the showing that the Patriots were hoping for. He profiles as a blitzing, downhill-style LB who was able to make plays in the Las Vegas Raiders' defense. His run-stopping ability was a natural fit for the Patriots, who were coming off a poor season in run defense, giving up the 10th most rushing yards in the league last year.
Now, Spillane's $33 million contract looks like a decision New England might regret.
Patriots Already Having Buyer's Remorse Over Robert Spillane
The downside of having a run-focused middle linebacker is that sometimes they aren't great in pass coverage. One of the reasons that Spillane's stats were so gaudy as a linebacker in Las Vegas may have been because the Raiders had one of the NFL's worst run defenses in 2024. When teams can run up the score, they start to kill the clock, meaning more opportunity for linebackers to rack up tackles.
None of that is to say that Spillane is solely a product of a bad defense in Las Vegas, but his stats in pass protection don't lie. This season, Spillane is allowing a passer rating of 136.8, per Pro Football Focus, and was absolutely tormented by Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane in Week 2.
He also ranks poorly among eligible LBs on PFF when it comes to:
- Overall defense: 32.3 (103rd/111)
- Pass rushing: 42.7 (88th/111)
- Coverage: 28.9 (106th/111)
In today's NFL, the middle linebacker has to be able to flex between run stuffer and pass defender. Knowing that Spillane wasn't necessarily an elite pass defender, he was expected to pair with Williams to shore up the run defense. Even then, he's struggled with eight missed tackles on 15 attempts.
That isn't a strong start for the Patriots captain. With Landry and Williams pressuring the quarterback, the linebacking group must consistently defend the pass game and capitalize on poor decisions from the quarterback. It wasn't like the Patriots were facing elite quarterbacks, either, as Geno Smith and Tua Tagovailoa aren't exactly top-10 QBs.
Spillane is the right linebacker when his counterparts in the middle of the field can be pass-focused. Unfortunately, Spillane is going to have to adapt his game, or the Patriots may be looking at midseason additions to compensate for the LB's glaring weaknesses.
If the status quo remains, the Patriots' sense of buyer's remorse will only continue to skyrocket.