New England Patriots: 5 Second-year Players who Need to Step-up in 2016
By Hal Bent
Second-year defensive ends Geneo Grissom and Trey Flowers:
The Patriots under Bill Belichick often have the strategy of finding a replacement for a player BEFORE he departs rather than waiting until there is a hole to fill. In that regard, the drafting of a defensive end with their third and fourth round draft picks last year seems to speak to the pending need at the position. To that end, New England added Geneo Grissom (2015 third-rounder) and Trey Flowers (2015 fourth-rounder) to the defensive end depth.
In the short-term, defensive end seems like a strength with Pro Bowl end Chandler Jones (12.5 sacks), veteran run-stopper Rob Ninkovich (6.5 sacks) and the steal of free agency last year Jabaal Sheard (8.0 sacks) all under contract for the 2016 season. However, all three are set to become free agents after next season and it highly unlikely that all three return.
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Grissom played the fourth-most snaps at defensive end behind the big three ahead of the rookies as Flowers (and promising scrap heap pass rusher Rufus Johnson) missed most of the season due to injury. Both Flowers and Johnson impressed in the preseason with explosiveness at the defensive end position which hinted at least a role as a third down pass rusher.
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Grissom was the wild card pick as few NFL draft analysts had him coming off the board before the third day due to confusion as to where he fits on an NFL defense. Head coach Bill Belichick had absolutely no confusion as it became clear that Grissom was being groomed to Rob Ninkovich Version 2.0 in New England. Intelligent, reliable, professional, disciplined, and sneakily athletic all define Grissom and the aging player he will likely start taking snaps from in 2016.
With Flowers expected to contribute more as a pass rusher in 2016 and Grissom being groomed to replace Ninkovich, the Patriots may be tipping their hand to 2017 with the development of this duo of defensive ends. Training camp should be interesting as the 2015 draft picks begin pushing the veterans for playing time in 2016.