Depth Chart: EDGE, Matthew Judon, MLB, JaWhaun Bentley, MLB, Raekwon McMillan, SLB Mac Wilson, SLB Cameron McGrone, MLB Harvey Langi, EDGE, Ronnie Perkins, EDGE, Josh Uche, EDGE, Anfernee Jennings, MLB, Jahlani Tavai, EDGE, DaMarcus Mitchell

Player to Watch: Josh Uche

Breakdown: The Patriots go into training camp with some new faces at linebacker. One of the objectives of the off-season was to get faster at linebacker after getting run out of Buffalo in the Wild Card playoff loss to the Bills. The Patriots are hoping that a new addition and some returning young players will bring the speed element they lacked last season.

Matthew Judon was the front runner for Defensive MVP last season at the half way point but fizzled down the stretch. He finished with a career high 12.5 sacks but he will need to be more consistent this season if the Patriots defense is going to rebound and play at an elite level.

Finding someone to juice up the pass rush opposite Judon is going to be a focal point in camp. Second year EDGE Ronnie Perkins out of Oklahoma is back and healthy. He will have every opportunity to play starter snaps. The Patriots need Perkins to emerge and either start or be a big part of their sub packages and play starter level snaps. A balanced pass rush is key to the success of this defense. Third year linebacker Josh Uche could also figure into the mix as well as both a stack linebacker or an edge linebacker in certain situations. He hasn’t played up to his potential thus far. He needs a strong camp if he is going to get meaningful snaps this season. The same goes for Anfernee Jennings who has been a complete none factor thus far. The Patriots need to find what they have in him. He certainly has the length and athleticism to be a versatile piece that can do different things within a scheme and play special teams as well. Rookie undrafted free agent DeMarcus Mitchell has intriguing physical traits and has played off and on the ball. If he can show some pass rush ability in camp and play special teams, he could stick and make the roster.

Inside linebacker is the one area where the Patriots made the most changes. Gone are stalwarts like Dont’a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy and Jaime Collins. Replacing them will be several new faces most notably Mack Wilson who was acquired in a trade for Chase Winovich. Wilson gives the Patriots a true SAM linebacker that can line up anywhere in a front and play all three downs. Wilson is fast, plays with good instincts and he gives this defense the downhill player they lacked at the position last season. The return of J’Whaun Bentley at MIKE linebacker gives the Patriots some stability at the position. Bentley knows the scheme and he is physical against the run. It would probably be best for Bentley and the defense if he transitioned to a two down role. Bentley is more effective against the run than the pass and by playing in a more situational role, he can be more effective in games. Cameron McGrone missed all of last season due to a knee injury. The 2021 fifth round pick out of Michigan has ideal size at 6-1 236. He can play SAM or MIKE, he is smart, instinctive and physical. Factor in his athleticism and ability to match up with tight ends and running backs in coverage and you see why the Patriots were so high on him when they drafted. Raekwon McMillan was having a solid camp last summer before injuring his knee and missing the season. The veteran linebacker is back and ready to compete for the starting MIKE linebacker job. McMillan plays with good instincts and toughness but he is also athletic and can make plays underneath in coverage. He will be an X-factor for this defense. Veteran Harvey Langi provides depth and can play on special teams. Jahlani Tavai will have a shot at making the team as depth linebacker but he will need to play on all special teams to realistically have a shot.

Final Thoughts: The Patriots have improved their overall speed at linebacker but we won’t really know if they did enough until we see this group on the practice field and in pre-season games. Getting faster as a whole was an objective on defense. It starts at linebacker. We will find out pretty quickly if this team has the talent and athleticism at the position to match up against some of the high octane offenses of the AFC.