Patriots Training Camp 3 To Watch: Safeties
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FOXBORO — Few, if any, teams in the National Football League 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, preventative 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 2022. In fact, the argument can be made that this positional grouping may be the strongest on the Patriots roster.
With the first Patriots set to report for training camp on July 19, 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 2021, the 26-year-old compiled 92 solo tackles, five tackles-for-loss, five passes-defensed, four interceptions and one fumble recovery. The Pats heavily used both big nickel (five defensive backs) and dime (six defensive backs) defensive packages in 2021; seeing action alongside safeties Adrian Phillips and Devin McCourty when three safeties were deployed in the secondary. As such, he was most effective when used against tight ends and receiving backs out of the backfield.
The Lenoir-Rhyne product brought an excellent blend of speed, length, size to Foxboro. At his best, he is able to cover a lot of ground and has the tools to match up with tight ends in coverage. Dugger is also a good tackler, capable of making stops in key situations. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Dugger’s progress throughout his first two seasons was his demonstration of strong football acumen. He showed great instincts and exhibited a deep understanding of the playbook. As such, he 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
While his offseason free-agent signing with the Pats may not have been classified as a blockbuster, Peppers’ arrival in New England has the chance to make a big impact on the Patriots defense in 2022. The 26-year-old was the first-round draft selection by the Cleveland Browns (25 overall) in the 2017 NFL Draft. The former Michigan Wolverine appeared in 29 games for the Browns throughout his first two years in the NFL. During that time, Peppers started all 29 contests, compiling 137 total tackles [six, for loss], eight passes-defensed, and two interceptions.
Peppers also spent three seasons with the New York Giants, playing 32 total games and amassing 196 total tackles (15, for loss), 17 passes-defensed, 3.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and two interceptions. He suffered a torn ACL in October 2021, ending his season.
The Pats interest in his services should not be surprising. Over the course of his five-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. 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.
Joshuah Bledsoe
The Patriots selected Bledsoe in the sixth round (188 overall) in the 2021 NFL Draft. Throughout his four years at the University of Missouri, he started 40 of his 43 games. Bledsoe appeared as a box safety, free safety, and slot corner. Bledsoe first joined the Patriots on the practice field in late November, after spending the entirety of the season to that point on NFI (Non Football Injury) with a wrist injury. The Missouri product had suffered a broken wrist at this year’s Reese’s Senior Bowl, an injury for which he required surgery to repair.
As a result, Bledsoe continues to project as a versatile safety for the Patriots. His ideal fit would feature him in the D-gap/slot, in a big-nickel-heavy defensive scheme featuring man-to-man coverage assignments. Bledsoe could be an option as a third safety who subs in on late downs to play man coverage down closer to the line of scrimmage. While New England has a solid trio of safeties in McCourty, Dugger and Phillips employed in their base defense, Bledsoe could add some depth to the position as the Pats head into 2022.
