The Patriots surprised the NFL on Friday when they traded for defensive end Michael Bennett. The Patriots acquired Bennett and a seventh round pick in 2020 for a fifth round pick. In return, the Patriots get two years of Bennett.

It is a steal for New England because while Bennett might not be the elite pass rusher he once was, he is still effective and he can line up as a five technique on regular downs and kick inside to a three technique tackle on passing downs.

It remains to be seen whether or not the Patriots will re-sign free agent Trey Flowers but if they do not, they got an insurance policy in Bennett. Bennett is not as good at setting an edge against the run as Flowers is but he is longer and is still disruptive because of his explosive get off on the snap.

Bill Belichick has considered Bennett one of the toughest players to prepare for in the NFL in recent years. It was evident in Super Bowl XLIX when then offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo famously said “We don’t know how to block him.” DeGuglielmo then compared Bennett to Reggie White. That’s a stretch even in 2015 but it speaks to what the Patriots thought of Bennett then and what they think of him now.

The Patriots always find a way to squeeze more out of veterans on the back end of their careers than most teams. Bennett will be motivated. If his brother Martellus comes out of retirement and can still play, the Patriots could sign him. If they do, Michael Bennett will be even more motivated to win a ring with his brother.

Here are some examples of what Bennett can do for the Patriotsin terms of alignment and pressure packages.

Diagram 1: In this illustration, Bennett is lined as a tilt five technique defensive end. You will see Bennett in this alignment a fair amount on medium and long down situations.

Diagram 2: Here Bennett lines up as a wide nine technique defensive end. Like the Seahawks and Eagles, expect the Patriots to line him up as a wide nine technique when they want to use Bennett as a straight up speed rusher against a tight end or right tackle or on a one or two gap loop.

Diagram 3: The Patriots will also kick Bennett inside as a either a straight up three technique or in a tilt alignment as shown here. The Patriots could do this on 3rd and short and 3rd and medium situations.

Diagram 4: The Patriots will take advantage of Bennett’s lateral quickness by using him on loop stunts. In this illustration, Bennett is the three technique. He loops from front side B gap to back side B gap on a five man zone pressure. The Patriots will use a variety of stunts up front and pair them up with man and zone coverage. Here, they drop to Cover 3.

Diagram 5: The Patriots will also loop Bennett out of a tilt 9 alignment. It is tougher to stunt out of this alignment because it is predicated on what the tight end does but regardless of that, Bennett is effective at generating pressure on movement from this alignment.

Diagram 6: Bennett is still athletic enough that despite his age, he can drop into coverage. Dropping defensive lineman into coverage late is a good way to bait quarterbacks into bad throws and to generate turnovers.

There is no question Michael Bennett can make a difference in the Patriots defense. It is just a matter of how quickly he gets acclimated to the scheme and how many snaps he plays. One thing is certain. Bennett will definitely improve the Patriots pass rush.