The Patriots were trounced 47-17 in the Wild Card Round against the Bills and that game exposed several important areas that New England needs to address. This is part one of a four-part series centered on the four most important areas that the Patriots need to improve. Part one is the linebacking corps.

Throughout Bill Belichick’s tenure as Patriots head coach, he has coached great linebackers. From Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel to Jerod Mayo and Dont’a Hightower, among others, New England has always had physical and athletic linebackers as the backbone of their defense. That was not the case in 2021.

The Patriots linebackers were slow and rarely made game altering plays. Hightower struggled with injuries all season and Ju’Whaun Bentley had difficulty covering sideline to sideline. Kyle Van Noy had a great game against the Falcons, but his overall impact was inconsistent.

Going forward, the Patriots are going to have to get younger and more athletic at linebacker. There are three in-house possibilities that are intriguing. The first is Josh Uche, a third round pick in 2020 who has flashed great pass rushing skills and has the athletic measurables to play against faster offenses. He needs to be able to branch out beyond rushing the passer and be an effective cover linebacker and edge setter in the run game; if he can do that it will be a boon for the Patriots. Two other options already on the roster are both recovering from injuries. Cameron McGrone and Raekwon McMillan both have physicality and McGrone also has great speed. Their injury recoveries are question marks, however.

Even if Uche, McGrone, and McMillan are all able to contribute in 2022, the Patriots should invest draft capital at linebacker. The chief target should be an interior linebacker with considerable speed, as McMillan would be slower inside and McGrone and Uche would both project as more outside linebackers. It is also important to note that the probability of all three making large contributions is not a given, especially due to the injury status of McGrone and McMillan. This would make the need to add to the group even more significant.

The Patriots would surely like to have Hightower back at the right price, but it may make sense to move on from either he or Bentley and prioritize more athleticism at the position. Even though there are some potential upgrades already on the roster, the linebacking group will need additions in the offseason.