If pass rush struggles, Patriots should consider reunion with Jabaal Sheard

The New England Patriots lost a ton of production in their pass rush from 2019 this offseason. Could ex-Pat Jabaal Sheard help out?

Together, Jamie Collins Sr. and Kyle Van Noy collected 13.5 of the 47 sacks the New England Patriots had in 2019. A quick bit of math reveals the easy translation of these stats: Collins and Van Noy accounted for just under 30% of New England’s sack total last year.

As a reminder, that production no longer exists in 2020, as Van Noy is now a Dolphin and Collins is currently a Lion.

Waiting in the wings at pass-rusher is second-year man Chase Winovich. The rookie was good for 5.5 sacks last season, tied for fourth-most on the team with veteran linebacker Dont’a Hightower.

Winovich is a popular candidate to make the fabled “second year leap” in Foxborough as a player. He got most of his snaps in 2019 on special teams, and that almost certainly won’t be the case in 2020 now that Collins, Van Noy, Elandon Roberts, and Danny Shelton are all gone from the Patriots’ front-seven.

Defensive tackle Adam Butler should also be able to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks from up the middle. After collecting two sacks as a rookie and three sacks in 2018, the former Vanderbilt Commodore had six sacks last year — the third-most on the team.

Finally, defensive end/outside linebacker John Simon and rookie draft pick Josh Uche are eligible players that could help chip in and keep New England’s sack total high for a second straight season.

Even with the young talent on the roster, Patriots pass rush is a question mark

But what if they don’t? In fact: What if none of these players are able to do in 2020 what Collins and Van Noy did in 2019?

The Pats are going to need to get after opposing quarterbacks this year. As brilliant as Bill Belichick is at dreaming up exotic defensive schemes and manufacturing pressure, the QBs on New England’s slate are simply too good in 2020 to rely on play-calling alone.

Pats Nation is going to have to rely on players too.

If the above players can’t get it done — or are slow rising to the occasion even — New England won’t have Tom Brady under center to help bail them out this time on offense. Instead, they might need to find reinforcements elsewhere — and they’d have to do it on the cheap, too, since they’re extremely cash-strapped.

A possible solution could be Jabaal Sheard. The 31-year-old veteran spent two seasons with the Patriots from 2015-2016 and helped them win Super Bowl 51, so it’s fair to say he has experience already under his belt playing successfully in this defense and under Belichick.

In fact, Sheard had eight sacks in 2015 and five sacks in 2016. He also was instrumental in dialing up pressure on Falcons QB Matt Ryan in the Super Bowl.

Sheard was solid if not spectacular his last three years with the Colts. He had 5.5 sacks in 2017, 5.5 sacks again in 2018, and 4.5 sacks last year. He has yet to be re-signed by the team after his contract expired this spring.

Though he had some injury issues last year, he’s played in all 16 games five times during his nine-year career. Even in the four years he didn’t make it wire-to-wire, he never missed more than three games in a season.

For a modest price the Patriots might be able to afford, they could potentially lure Sheard back and see what happens in training camp. Or — even better — if he remains unsigned by any teams when the season starts, New England could wait and see what they have at pass rush and keep Sheard’s number on speed-dial.

What do you think? Would you be a fan of Sheard coming back to Foxborough and helping out in the Patriots’ pass rush department if needed?