Replacing Matthew Judon will be easier said than done for the Patriots

Not even a week after the New England Patriots traded their best pass rusher, LB Matthew Judon, they signed a free agent who wore Judon’s number while in college and even copied his celebration.

Do the Patriots think they could put a number 9 jersey on this guy and think the fans wouldn’t notice?

Free agents Christian McCarroll and Kobe Jones were added to the roster as the Patriots search for options to bolster the pass rush after sending the 9th-year veteran to the Atlanta Falcons for a 2025 third-round selection.

In head coach Jerod Mayo’s eyes, one player won’t replace Judon. That’s what he said to the media following the preseason loss to the Philadelphia Eagles:

"We've gone years without having a premier rusher -- Chandler Jones, the Judons of the world -- but we were able to manufacture pass rush through our stunts and games and our game planning," he said, via the team's official transcript. "It's not going to be one person. It's hard to sit here and say one person can replace Matthew Judon, both on the field and off the field. But I think we have a good group ready to go and step into those shoes."

If Mayo feels like he has a good group, then why did the Patriots sign two pass rushers?

The New England Patriots’ search for productive pass rushers is just beginning

In reality, Mayo doesn’t have a good group of pass rushers. Think about what he has:

• Josh Uche had just one healthy, productive season in his career
• Keion White has great potential but is in just his second year with one career sack to his name
• Anfernee Jennings is an excellent run defender on the edge but offers very little coming around the corner
• Oshane Ximines has a sack in each preseason game but has an injury history that raises legitimate concerns about his durability

The further down the depth chart you go, the more depressing the prospects look. It shouldn’t be this way.

Mayo is, in part, the victim of years of repeated mistakes by the previous administration. Since 2019, New England got very little out of Chase Winovich (2019) and Ronnie Perkins (2021). It might be too early to give up on Sam Roberts (2022), but he still doesn’t have his first career sack.

It took Uche until his third year to break out with 11.5 sacks, but his production plummeted to just three last season.

With the errors as cautionary tales, you would have thought the current Patriots front office would learn from the past mistakes. But refusing to select a pass rusher this past April isn’t how the lesson should have manifested. A pass rusher was arguably the fourth-highest need for the Patriots. Failing to add one four months ago is one of a few decisions that has caught up to New England.

Predictions of the Patriots being active on the waiver wire came true, as they claimed WR Matt Landers after the Cleveland Browns waived him. The 6-4 200-pound target replaces rookie JaQuae Jackson, who was placed on injured reserve.

Expect more waiver claims after the August 27 cuts. By then, some talented pass rushers could be looking for work. Maybe they sign an accomplished free agent.

No word on if the Patriots are focusing on ones that wore number 9.

More Patriots news and analysis: