Patriots: Players who can snag starting jobs after recent string of opt outs

These New England Patriots players can snag starting jobs in 2020.

In the blink of an eye, the New England Patriots were down their starting inside linebacker, right tackle and safety as Dont’a Hightower, Marcus Cannon and Patrick Chung — as well as three other players — announced their decision to sit out the 2020 season due to fears about playing amid the global pandemic.

While a wise decision by all parties, this is obviously a massive buzzkill for the upcoming campaign, as the Patriots, following the sheer roster turnover they watched unfold this offseason, really couldn’t afford another loss, let alone three of this magnitude. We all know that Bill Belichick is a mastermind when it comes to replacing starters, but not even he could have prepared to be blindsided like this right at the start of training camp.

This begs the obvious question of whether New England’s depth chart is deep enough to overcome the losses of these three stalwarts. As questions still abound, that didn’t stop us from identifying sleepers that could potentially nab a starting job this year.

Full disclosure: This list is entirely based off what the Patriots currently have at their disposal. They could obviously still sign reinforcements in free agency.

4. Korey Cunningham (RT)

Not many teams have the depth to replace a starting right tackle, but the lack of experience from the Patriots’ reserves is a major cause for concern. The two most obvious contenders to replace Cannon, who started 15 games and played 88% of the offensive snaps last year, are Korey Cunningham and Yodny Cajuste.

The former came into the league as a seventh-round pick in 2018 and has played in just seven total games in his first two seasons. For context, six of those came with the Arizona Cardinals as a rookie, whereas just one came with New England last campaign. With that being said, he’s probably the betting favorite to win the job over Cajuste, a 2019 third-round selection who literally didn’t play a snap last year.

We don’t feel comfortable saying it, but we have to give the nod to Cunningham here. After all, minimal experience is better than no experience, especially without a preseason.

3. Kyle Dugger (Safety)

In our eyes, the Patriots are more equipped to overcome the loss of Chung at safety than they are at linebacker and right tackle, and it starts with rookie Kyle Dugger, who was their first pick of the 2020 Draft at No. 37 overall. When you consider how much Chung regressed in pass coverage last year, New England was likely already planning to experiment with more rotation at the safety position this season anyway.

Dugger will have to compete with the likes of Adrian Phillips and Terrence Brooks to earn a starting spot next to veteran Devin McCourty, but the sheer reach that Belichick showcased to ensure that he could draft the former Lenoir-Rhyne star proves that he thinks he can contribute in Year 1. Without a preseason, the 24-year-old will have an uphill climb to win the job, but we don’t doubt that he can pull it off.

2. Chase Winovich (ILB)

Chase Winovich is arguably the most obvious selection to be lined up in the middle of the Patriots defense come Week 1 of the 2020 regular season.

Though he didn’t start a single game as a rookie last year, the fact that he appeared in all 16 contests proves that New England’s coaching staff thinks highly of him.

While playing 29% of the defensive snaps, the 2019 third-rounder logged 26 tackles, 5.5 sacks and 10 quarterback hits. So long as he avoids injury and features regularly, we fully expect those numbers to double this time around. Winovich might be a pass rusher by trade, but you can bet that the Patriots coaching staff will be asking him to take on a significant role in Year 2 following the loss of Hightower.

1. Ja’Whaun Bentley (ILB)

If Ja’Whaun Bentley thought the pressure was on for him to impress in Year 3 before Hightower opted out, it’s now amplified tenfold following the Patriots veteran’s shocking decision. The 2018 fifth-round pick was shaping up to be a stud for New England as a rookie, but a biceps injury cut his season short in Week 3. That stunted his development in the team’s system, and he played just 27% of the defensive snaps last year as a result.

Now, however, a door has opened for Bentley to claim the spotlight that Hightower is leaving in his wake. At 23 years old, he’s still incredibly raw, but — unless you count inexperienced rookies — there is legitimately zero depth behind him that he would otherwise have to compete with. In fairness, rookie linebackers Josh Uche and Anfernee Jennings will undoubtedly be thrown into the mix earlier than expected, but they have no chance at snagging starting jobs.

If the Purdue product doesn’t take this opportunity and run with it, well, let’s just say that he might not get another shot as golden as this.