Well, things could be a little more balanced and Hightower could play some more at the end of the line, where he can get after the quarterback a bit more. Put it this way – they’re not going to be WORSE with Mayo in the mix and the wear and tear can be mitigated a bit more. Also worth mentioning that the Pats still struggled in coverage against tight ends this year and Mayo can do that.
So it opens some doors for a 3-3-5 nickel, gives them a more talented regular defense and puts another very good leader on the field. Figuring out how they manage the 4-2-5 nickel isn’t a huge problem and can be tweaked from week to week anyway.