Report: New England Patriots Expected To Bring Back Defensive End

The New England Patriots are rearranging their defense, and they are more interested in familiar faces. They will probably bring back a defensive end, and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network has more details.

According to Rapoport, the Patriots may sign defensive end John Simon.

Simon signed a contract with the New England Patriots after their Week 3 loss to the Detroit Lions right after Ja’Whaun Bentley’s injury. This deal brought him $1 million, but he played in eleven games for New England last season.

In these games, Simon totaled 17 tackles, two sacks and three quarterback hits. The defensive end played in three playoff games for the Patriots en route to the sixth Super Bowl win. In the playoff games, Simon had four tackles, a half sack and account for the quarterback hit.

Simon made his debut with the Patriots in Week 4, and his presence was felt. He totaled a sack and five tackles against the Dolphins. The defensive end suffered a shoulder injury that kept him away from the field for two games. This doesn’t change the fact that he was an excellent contributor throughout the season, and the coaching staff likes him a lot.

“John’s done a really good job for us since he’s come in here and has picked things up very quickly, contributed for us right away defensively and in the kicking game,” head coach Bill Belichick said of the Simons back in December. “He’s really done a solid job. He’s experienced, smart and has very good football instincts. He’s got good awareness. Even though he hasn’t had as much experience in our system as some other people have, his instinctiveness to kind of just do the right thing on the football field at the right time consistently keeps showing up. He’s been a great addition. I’m glad we have him.”