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Patriots Sign Jabaal Sheard to 2-year, $11 million deal

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The Patriots finally made a significant move in free agency, signing defensive end Jabaal Sheard to a two-year deal worth $11 million according to multiple outlets. 

Sheard was a player that I, along with quite a few other Pats analysts, liked. I had him ranked 17th overall on my big board that season and now that the Pats are getting him, it’s a very good move.

Sheard immediately becomes a legitimate 3rd defensive end, and while he has some pass rush power, it’s his stoutness against the run that really make him a great fit. He can sub for both Rob Ninkovich or Chandler Jones, and also serve as a designated pass rusher in sub-packages.

While he played some outside linebacker in Cleveland, he was better as a defensive end, which is how the Pats will ask him to play. Knowing he can stand up and drop occassionally, something the Pats will do with their ends, is a big plus.

Throw in he was the Browns 2013 Walter Payton Man of the Year for his service in the community and he’s really a perfect fit in New England. He plays the way the Pats want to play.

For those clamoring for more pass rush now that the outside corners have been downgraded, this is a move to feel even better about. 

Everyone seems to forget that Dennard was a solid #2 corner, he just wasn’t a good fit in the slot so didn’t play much last year. Could someone like Chris Culliver fill a role? Also, how much of a blow is it that the Pats will now likely have to play more zone? We saw how that was ripped apart by Peyton in the 2013 AFCCG when Talib went down.

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Lot to touch on here.

First, on Dennard, yes I think he’s being far underrated for the promise he showed early as an outside corner. Yes, he struggled in the slot and I’m not 100 percent clear on what his injury problems were last year. He cannot matchup on big receivers, but against average six-foot-ish guys I think he’s really fine. I do think someone like Culliver could be an option, but I think they’ll wait and let his price drop a few days at least before addressing that spot.

As for “more zone” I think there are some layers to this and it’s not as simple as it might seem. The Patriots are known for being a multiple defense, not just upfront but on the back end.

Last year, we saw a lot of Cover 1 Robber, a man coverage with McCourty on the back end and Chung cheating down into the box. On big passing downs you might have Harmon and McCourty deep in more of a Cover 2 look.

Despite being man-heavy, they did sprinkle in plenty of zone defense. 

Now my problem is that I saw the acquirement of Aqib Talib in 2012 as a sign that Belichick realized you must have man press corners to beat the good QBs in the NFL. Now there are less than 5 guys in the NFL who can do that at an elite level. Teams still win without those guys.

Will the Patriots have to likely shift away from it? Given the personnel at the moment, unfortunately yes. Of course that can change, but adjusting the scheme has a trickle down effect.

Patrick Chung is not a Cover 2 Zone safety. So his extension would be a little less valuable. Really, it would be more of McCourty and Harmon, starting then, and that’s okay. 

But on a team where they love to have a lot of tools for the toolbox I am just befuddled there isn’t a use for Browner. His size and physicality should make him useful. So I’m not sure what happened there.

I refuse to believe Belichick knew Revis was leaving and said “oh well, we’re going to be a zone defense now” and cut Browner too. I don’t think anyone really believes the Patriots are going to stop many good offenses playing the majority of zone with undersized corners like they tried to do from 2008-2011… you know, when they were getting torched for more yards than anyone else.

Ultimately, there’s a long road to go and that’s why I think the secondary is far from set. I still expect a move to more man corners to give them more options for coverage in the secondary. But I’m still scratching my head why Browner wouldn’t be a part of that.

The Patriot Way Rules in Revis Aftermath and the Jets Still Don’t Get It – Eric Wilbur’s Sports Blog – Boston.com

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The Patriot Way Rules in Revis Aftermath and the Jets Still Don’t Get It – Eric Wilbur’s Sports Blog – Boston.com

Good Belichick kool aid drinking take, if those kind of things are your bag. Look, no one has waited for this defense to be dominant again than I have. The Patriots defensive turnover was maybe the biggest reason I started blogging, to track it and analyze it. Losing Revis stinks. I loved what he brought to the defense and how he freed up the other 10 guys to do damage. But there are only a few of those kind of guys in the NFL, and not having one doesn’t bar you from winning a Super Bowl, despite the results of the last two years.

Name me the secondary of either Giants team that beat the Pats’ in the Super Bowl. I can barely recall one of them. But what I can recall is their front seven and if there’s one thing that can make up for not having an elite man-to-man shutdown corner, it’s a dominant front seven. Expect the Pats to attack that area of their team-building immediately. Like, starting today.

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The decision to not bring back Browner is a curious one. As shown, he’s far and above any cornerback on the current roster, and is one of the best corners available on the free agent market. If the Patriots didn’t pick up his option with the intent of signing Revis with the extra money that would be understandable, but reportedly the Patriots were out of the bidding for Revis on Monday and then didn’t pick up Browner’s option on Tuesday. This raises some questions of whether the Patriots want Browner at all.

Yup, I don’t get it. 

It Is What It Is » Exploring ways Patriots can replace Darrelle Revis

https://www.patspropaganda.com/brandon-browner-patriots-free-agent/