Implications of Patriots extending Jonathan Freeny
It came to light on Saturday afternoon that the New England Patriots slapped another two years on to the contract of linebacker Jonathan Freeny.
Ben Volin of the Boston Globe was the first to break the news of the Pats extending Freeny.
#Patriots have signed a linebacker to a contract extension, but not the one you think. Jonathan Freeny just re-upped with the Pats
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) August 27, 2016
I’m told it’s a 2-year extension for #Patriots LB Jonathan Freeny. Core special teams player and an athletic backup for Jamie Collins
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) August 27, 2016
In the short-term, this paints a clearer picture of what the Patriots’ depth chart at linebacker is going to look like this season. Freeny is now a lock to make the roster with Dont’a Hightower and Jamie Collins, leaving really just one, maybe two spots for Kamu Grugier-Hill, Elandon Roberts, Barkevious Mingo, Kevin Snyder, Rufus Johnson and Ramon Humber.
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Out of that group, Grugier-Hill, Roberts and Mingo lead the charge. The Pats might get creative and put Mingo on the defensive line, a move which would allow them to at least take Grugier-Hill on the active roster and place Roberts on the practice squad.
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This news also affects roster long shots who have been pinning their hopes on special teams, such as Humber. Freeny may not be the flashiest player in the league, but he is a valuable core special teamer. Evidently, the Patriots are pretty keen on what Freeny brings to special teams; this contract extension brings to mind the one they dished out to another special teams standout, Brandon Bolden.
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Freeny has gained a reputation for being a hard worker, something that certainly factored into this decision. As noted by Mike Reiss, Freeny has earned praise from Bill Belichick for his work ethic.
As @BenVolin reported, Patriots signed LB Jonathan Freeny to a 2-year extension thru 2018. Bill Belichick called him 1 of team's top workers
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) August 27, 2016
Here’s the thing though, and this is what a bunch of Patriots fans are thinking: every cent that the Pats hand to a backup linebacker, that is money they could be saving towards retaining Hightower and Collins.
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But what do we know? We’re just fans observing from the outside. This is a typical Bill Belichick move in that we don’t really know why Freeny was extended, we just know that his intangibles stack up well against other roster hopefuls, and that’s why Bill wants to keep him around.
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Stay tuned for further analysis of the Freeny extension in the coming days.