With a ton of cap space this offseason it was inevitable that the Patriots would make some splashy moves and the first two days of the new league year have not disappointed. After signing top cornerback Stephon Gilmore on Thursday, the Patriots traded a second round pick to the Panthers for defensive end Kony Ealy.
Defensive end was a significant need this offseason with the departure of Chris Long and likely departure of Jabaal Sheard. Trey Flowers had a breakout second season and is primed to play a huge role in 2017. Rob Ninkovich was solid in 2016 but just turned 33, so adding at least one more rotational end was vital.
Ealy had seen his snaps reduced in 2016 after a standout Super Bowl 50 where he recorded three sacks of Peyton Manning in a losing effort. The Patriots won’t expect him to play every down, but will require him to use his athleticism more than he did in Carolina’s system. The Patriots ask their defensive ends to often play in more of a linebacker hybrid role, which includes coverage drops and even some man-to-man coverage at times when they want to be deceptive.
As you can see below in his Super Bowl interception, Ealy isn’t a stranger to pass drops and that’s what likely caught the Patriots eye more than anything, especially at the scouting conbine where Ealy had the best defensive linemen three cone drill time.
Ealy is in the final year of his rookie deal, so that will add some intrigue next offseason. It seems as though the Pats are more than fine to cycle through defensive ends on one-year deals, but Flowers’ contract certainly gives them some flexibility. Finding another defensive end in the draft would still make a lot of sense.
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