Patriots Identify Third-Year Linebacker to Help Cushion Blow of Losing Dont’a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy

The New England Patriots had the top defense in the league. Head coach Bill Belichick and his defense won a lot of games in 2019. The New England Patriots will enter the upcoming season with a different defense. Coach Belichick and the Patriots will have to make some changes at his linebacker unit. Tom Brady’s departure changed a lot of things in New England. 

Kyle Van Noy and Elandon Roberts joined the Miami Dolphins this offseason. Jamie Collins is now playing with the Detroit Lions.

These losses affected the Patriots team. The whole situation got worse after the opt-outs. Dont’a Hightower decided to opt out of the upcoming season due to his coronavirus concerns. Hightower was a leader of the linebacking unit. New England will have to find a replacement for Hightower, Van Noy and Collins. Roberts is a critical role player for the team.

Will Ja’Whuan Bentley take over? Inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo knows a few things about the linebackers in New England.

“I’d say if you were to look at last year and look at his production per play, he was very productive when he was out there,” he said of Bentley. “And when you think about the players we had in that (linebacker) room in 2019, it was a crowded room. But when he did get an opportunity, for the most part, he performed well. So I look forward to giving him more opportunities, and hopefully he stays healthy and he’s able to keep that production up.”

Will the Patriots make changes to the linebacker unit?

Bentley was a Day 3 selection in 2018. He had an impressive camp that summer. The Patriots had him in three games. however, his torn biceps kept him on the sidelines that season. Bentley returned in 2019 and played sparingly.

The player will have to produce on the field. Will he get the leadership role?

“You lose guys like Hightower and Kyle, … Elandon, … now Bentley is really the guy as far as mentoring the younger players,” said Mayo. “I think he’s done a great job up until this point as far as his leadership ability, taking control of the huddle and all those things. I look forward to continue seeing that growth going forward. Obviously, we don’t have on pads right now. It’s not 100 degrees out there on a summer day, you’re out there tired and all that stuff. But I look forward to seeing that development continue under strenuous situations. But just his role as far as the communicator at the second level and also just his mentorship role with the younger guys (is important).”