Patriots Training Camp Preview: Safeties; Who Replaces Devin McCourty?
FOXBORO — Few, if any, teams in the NFL place as high of a premium on employing a strong defensive backfield as the New England Patriots.
Whether it be at cornerback or safety, the Pats pride themselves on fielding a secondary that is capable of playing intelligent, conservative football, while blending the ability to aggressively make plays.
Although New England’s cornerbacks will garner much of the attention during training camp, the safety depth chart will once again be stocked with versatility and potential in 2023. With the Patriots set to report for their first training camp practice on July 26, here are three safeties which might catch a ‘sharp eye’ this summer.
Kyle Dugger
Abundantly praised for his versatility, Dugger has been heralded as the future star of the Patriots’ defensive backfield. In 15 games played in 2022, the 27-year-old compiled 78 solo tackles (five, for loss,) eight passes-defensed, three interceptions — two of which were returned for touchdowns — and one fumble recovery for a score. Due to his knowledge of the Patriots defensive schemes, Dugger is likely to take on a leadership role for New England’s defense in light of longtime team captain Devin McCourty’s retirement.
The Lenoir-Rhyne product brings an excellent blend of speed, length, size to New England’s defensive backfield — both big nickel (five defensive backs) and dime (six defensive backs) defensive packages. At his best, he is able to cover a lot of ground and has the tools to match up with tight ends and backfield receivers in coverage. Dugger is also a good tackler, capable of making stops in key situations. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of his progress throughout his first three seasons was his demonstration of strong football acumen. He showed great instincts and exhibited a deep understanding of the playbook. As such, Dugger should be expected to see considerable playing time as a box/strong safety, along with some situational with some snaps as the deep man.
Jabrill Peppers
After making a brief, yet impressive impression in his first season in Foxboro, Peppers signed a two-year, $9 million to remain with the Pats this offseason. Despite an ACL tear derailing his 2021 season with the New York Giants, the Michigan product played in all 17 games for New England last season, taking a total of 398 snaps. Peppers played safety and linebacker in passing situations, teaming with McCourty, Dugger and Phillips to form a productive quartet at the back end of the team’s secondary. He recorded 52 tackles — missing just one all season — and recovered a fumble.
The Pats interest in retaining his services should not be surprising. Over the course of his six-year NFL career, he has aligned at box safety, free safety, wide cornerback, slot cornerback, hybrid linebacker and even taken some snaps on the defensive line. With McCourty having announced his retirement, Peppers’ role becomes more prevalent, especially with defensive back Jalen Mills expected to play increasingly at safety in 2023. Peppers also has plenty of experience on special teams, having compiled 117 career returns on both punt and kick return duties. His presence should strengthen both the Patriots defensive backfield, as well as their special teams core.
Adrian Phillips
One might be hard pressed to find a better player than Phillips to personify the term ‘versatility.’ Upon his arrival in New England, he was expected to make his most effective impact on special teams. After all, Phillips had earned All Pro honors in special teams in 2018, as a member of the Los Angeles Chargers. However, the former Texas Longhorn would end up being one of the team’s most reliable defenders. He settled into the ‘Star’ role in the Pats defense in 2020, which is a hybrid box safety, capable of playing outside linebacker in most 4-3 schemes. Phillips finished the season with 109 total tackles and two interceptions.
In 2023, he is once again projected to play a similar role. With the emergence of Josh Uche within the pass rush, along with the drafting of Marte Mapu, Phillips will likely see a decrease in the number of snaps he takes at linebacker. However, when he is deployed within New England’s backfield, Phillips will likely play close to the box more than split out wide or deep. He will also continue to be a fixture on the Patriots’ special teams on all four coverage and return units.
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