By: Jake Rajala

The New England Patriots secondary is certainly not an intimidating group entering the 2022 season. In particular, their cornerback room appears to be their weakest unit. They don’t have an outside cornerback like Darrelle Revis, Stephon Gilmore, or J.C. Jackson. Malcolm Butler and Jalen Mills are projected to be the starting outside CBs. Mills may have strong leadership traits, but he also allowed six touchdowns in a span of 12 games last season. Furthermore, Butler was retired in 2021 — so it’s far from clear if he will be an effective CB moving forward. Ben Linsey from ESPN expressed that the Pats CB group is their biggest weakness. He stated that the Pats could be exposed in man coverage, which could force the Pats to use more zone coverage in 2022.

The Pats CBs will also routinely face AFC East WRs like Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs, and Corey Davis. It seemed to be bad timing that Jackson left the Pats CB group, while Hill entered the division. Belichick and his crew will surely need to do a better job coaching the outside CBs than at any previous point in their coaching tenures.

The Patriots safety group has talent, versatility, and quality depth. Devin McCourty had three interceptions last season and a shiny 76 grade from PFF. He may be 34, but he is still capable of playing at a high level. Kyle Dugger was a pleasant surprise in his sophomore season — as he notched four ints and earned an admirable 71.8 grade by PFF. The new face Jabril Peppers, also known as another Michigan Wolverine legend on the Pats defense, will seek to be a heat-seeking missile and a ball-hawk. Peppers ousted 11 pass deflections, 2.5 sacks, and 8 TFLs in 2020. It’s no secret that Belichick will lean on the Pats safety group to be extra special with the rebuilding CB group moving forward.

The Pats have been a Top-2 unit in passing yards per game allowed in two of the past three seasons. It will be a serious challenge to come close to that outcome in 2022, but the Pats pass defense that has impressively moved on from gifted CBs in the past can certainly be an above-average pass defense in 2022. The Pats still have the best defensive coach in NFL history (aka BB), a modest CB in Mills, and a well-rounded safety unit.

The post What is the outlook for the Patriots secondary? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The secret is out: Tyrann Mathieu, also known as the honey badger, will test the free-agent market. The legendary LSU defender and Super Bowl LVI champion could exit the Chiefs this offseason. The Honey Badger has been phenomenal throughout his career. Here is a look at how magical he’s been in his imposing NFL tenure:

• Three-time Pro Bowler
• Three-time All-Pro
• 26 career interceptions
• 10 career sacks
• 41 career tackles for loss

It’s clear that the Honey Badger is a versatile, fearless defender and he won’t be easy to replace if he leaves. Nonetheless, the Chiefs will always have a “next man up” mentality. So, if the Chiefs potentially look to add a quality safety to in free agency to fill in the shoes of Mathieu, who could they sign? Well, here are a few great options.

Marcus Williams

The cap-trapped Saints need to sign Jameis Winston and they may potentially bring back Terron Armstead (free agent). It will be hard for the Saints to outbid other teams for Williams, particularly teams that boast more cap space and success. Williams was second team All-Pro by Pro Football Focus and I believe he is just entering the prime of his career.

Williams may not only be a good replacement for the Honey Badger, but he is significantly younger than Matheiu. Williams is four years younger than Matheiu, which is perfect for the dangerous, somewhat young Chiefs team.

Devin McCourty

Devin McCourty might seem insanely old at this point in his career, but he’s still a ball-hawk at 34 years old. He notched four interceptions in 2021 and three picks in 2020.

He will likely want to play for a contender to finish his career and there might not be a better option than the Chiefs. We witnessed Eric Weddle find gold with the LA Rams and now it might be time for McCourty to win another ring with Patrick Mahomes.

Justin Reid

The Texans safety Justin Reid might be one of the biggest diamond in the roughs in the entire free agency pool. Reid has tremendous athletic ability and he’s 25 years old, but he’s entering free agency at a rough point in his career. He had flashes last season, but he also alstruggled at times in 2021 in open space and against the deep pass. He was also healthy scratch for the game against the Jets after getting in an argument with a coach.

He still was productive in the first two season in the league (5 combined ints and 160+ combined tackles) and he will look to turn his career around with a stronger culture and scheme. It may be wise for Andy Reid to ink Reid on a one-year prove-it deal.

The post Free agent safety targets for the Kansas City Chiefs appeared first on Pro Football Mania.