Patriots defensive line might be the team’s biggest weapon this year

Barmore' return and Keion White's positioning could be key to the D's success
Dec 15, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; New England Patriots defensive end Keion White (99) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Dec 15, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; New England Patriots defensive end Keion White (99) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Mike Vrabel has beefed up his defense in the 2025 offseason. That's no surprise. Vrabel was a very good defensive end for the Patriots, and his forte is the side of the ball on which he played. He added quality to all three levels of the defense from top to bottom.

He added Carlton Davis III, a lockdown corner, to one of the NFL's best cornerbacks, Christian Gonzalez, to form one of the league's top tandems. At linebacker, he added a tackling machine in Robert Spillane, extended the contract of emerging star Christian Elliss, and added another linebacker, Jack Gibbens, who played for him at Tennessee.

Then there were the additions along the defensive front. Vrabel added quality at defensive tackle and production at the edge, significantly improving both units. A top analyst has rated the defensive fronts (they referred to them as lines, but this term encompasses edge players), and the Patriots received an interesting rating among the NFL's other defensive lines.

Pro Football Focus ranked the Pats' defensive front 13th in the NFL

Pro Football Focus (PFF) ranked the NFL's defensive lines, and the Patriots received a solid if unspectacular grade.

"If this list featured interior defenders only, the Patriots would rank much higher. They enter 2025 with Milton Williams and Christian Barmore on the interior. Barmore missed most of the 2024 season due to blood clots but ranked eighth at the position with an 83.8 PFF overall grade in 2023. Williams led all interior defenders with a 91.7 PFF pass-rushing grade amid the Eagles‘ run to a Super Bowl victory this past season.

New England has a couple of reliable veterans at edge defender in K'Lavon Chaisson and Harold Landry III, but they are most likely hoping that third-year player Keion White can take the next step and become an above-average presence."

This is a solid rating, especially considering last season's dismal performance. Vrabel has cleaned house at both the defensive tackle, end, and linebacker positions. Former starters or rotational players Davon Godchaux, Deatrich Wise Jr., Daniel Ekuale, and Ja'Whaun Bentley were either released, traded, or allowed to sign elsewhere. Big changes were in the wind, and Vrabel swung the broom.

The 2025 additions fit Mike Vrabel's system to a T

Mike Vrabel will employ a more attacking defense than his predecessors did. Rather than a two-gap reacting model, Vrabel is all about getting upfield and disrupting the offense. Now, he has just the personnel on hand to implement it.

Vrabel has a trio of the best penetrating defensive tackles in the league in Christian Barmore, Milton Williams, and, if correctly utilized, Keion White. If all are healthy, they will be a menace to any offensive line in the league. PFF correctly noted that if the ratings pertained only to interior defensive linemen, they'd rank much higher. Indeed, they'd be at or near the top of the hill.

Yet, they included the edge payers. Vrabel signed his former Titans guy, Harold Landry III. He's the best pass-rusher on the team. He also brought in another solid young edge, K'Lavon Chaisson, who may emerge this season as another potential double-digit sack man.

But as expected, PFF missed the boat on Keion White, doing what former coaches Bill Belichick and Jerod Mayo erroneously tried to do, shoehorning him into an edge role. He's an OK edge, but his best position is inside in a gap. If used correctly, White will be the Pats' breakout player of 2025 and will be signed to an extension. If not, he'll remain disillusioned and will leave after 2026.

The White decision will help shape whether Vrabel's defense is good or one of the NFL's best. It has the potential to be the latter with all the new additions. However, White's potential is so high that he could be the key. We'll see if Vrabel learned anything from Belichick's and Mayo's mistakes with the player. Hopefully, he has. If so, the sky is the limit for the Patriots' defense.

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