The Patriots already have a solid group of safeties, but that won’t keep them from kicking the tires on William Moore and Vinnie Sunseri.
Not really that surprised that the Pats are keeping the emergency safeties list up to date. Although Tavon Wilson wasn’t destined for a significant role on defense, his departure this offseason does leave a bit of a void as far as an experienced veteran who could step up if Patrick Chung were to get hurt.
Chung’s had two excellent seasons since returning to the Patriots, primarily playing as a “robber” in the Pats oft-used Cover-1 man scheme. This places Chung in box, usually as a run stopper but sometimes in coverage on tight ends as well. This suits him far better than the Cover-2 deep safety and slot corner roles he was often found playing in his first stint with the Pats.
Chung’s also avoided the biggest deterrent in his first go-round, injuries. If he were to get hurt now, the Pats don’t have an experienced safety who could easily fit into his role. Duron Harmon is a deep free safety, and while Devin McCourty could shift into some of Chung’s duties, it’s not exactly the best use of his talents.
One of the big questions I’ve wondered this offseason is whether Jordan Richards is ready for that kind of role on defense if he was called upon. He showed some promise last year, but I’m still not sure what his best fit is and inserting him into the important role Chung plays could be a bit dicey.
Knowing where veterans like Moore and Sunseri are at gives the Pats some fall back options if they weren’t quite ready for Richards to be playing significant snaps on defense.
