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The Patriots could pursue Jaelan Phillips in free agency.
Coming off a surprise Super Bowl appearance, one thing that the New England Patriots have expressed some concern about has been complacency. The team turned around a 4-13 season convincingly, going 14-3 under new coach Mike Vrabel and winning the AFC in a series of tough, weather-marred games before being drubbed by the Seahawks in the NFL finale.
So there’s plenty of good to work with on the Patriots roster. But there is plenty that needs improvement, too.
One of the areas is among the pass rushers, where the team began the season getting very good performances from new edges like Harold Landry and K’Lavon Chaisson, but saw both players peter out in their consistency as the season went on. Landry finished the season with a Pro Football Focus grade of 71.1, 54th out of 119 edges graded in the NFL, and was the top-rated edge for New England. Chaisson’s grade was 59.0, which was 84th.
Patriots Defense Was a Strength
The Patriots’ defense was excellent throughout the year and especially in the playoffs, but the strength of that unit remains up the middle, where the defensive line was outstanding and the linebackers got better as the season progressed. Of course, the back end of the defense, anchored by Christian Gonzalez and free-agent signing Carlton Davis, was among the best in football.
The good news for the Patriots is that there are edge rushers available this offseason, and in the NFL draft. Expect New England to invest in the position. But the bad news is that they can be expensive–whether they come from a trade, as with Maxx Crosby from the Raiders (who’s been linked to New England and would likely cost two first-round picks), or in free agency.
Patriots Could Use Jaelan Phillips
At ESPN, the site is suggesting a free-agent fit for the Patriots that makes eminent sense: Jaelan Phillips, the former Dolphins edge who was traded to Philadelphia last November.
Phillips is not exactly a perfect fit, with a lengthy medical history, including a torn Achilles tendon in 2023 and a torn ACL in 2024, which limited him to 10 total games. He played 17 games last year, and finished with 5.0 sacks. PFF gave him a 74.2 grade last year, 31st in the NFL.
He might not be cheap, either. Spotrac projects his market value at three years, $52 million.
Here’s how ESPN’s Aaron Schatz described a Phillips-Patriots union:
“The Patriots’ two biggest needs this offseason are edge rusher and offensive line. … Phillips had two sacks and 27 pressures after he was traded to the Eagles from Miami at midseason. His 12.4% pass rush win rate ranked 24th among qualifying edge rushers. Phillips could replace free agent K’Lavon Chaisson and/or make a good partner for Harold Landry III.”
‘We Have to Have Fresh Ideas’
Coach Mike Vrabel said this week that the Patriots’ plan this offseason is to keep the team’s core, but to find ways to upgrade that will “enhance” what’s already on the roster, not necessarily overhaul it.
“I think right now it’s about, from a coaching standpoint, what we did well, how we can enhance it, the new ideas,” said Vrabel.
“We have to have fresh ideas to what we’re doing in all three phases. That’s been my direction to the staff is to go through and focus on what we can do to enhance the core concepts, but also, I need to see some new ideas that maybe force us to push ourselves in a different direction. Not a wholesale change, but things that we feel like can help us, but that are also new.”
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
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