Picked-up pieces from 2nd quarter review – New England Patriots Blog – ESPN Boston

Defensive end Jermaine Cunningham earned playing time in a sub defense package as an interior rusher, aligning alongside Vince Wilfork. It’s an opportunity for Cunningham to continue to increase his role within this defense, and for the Patriots’ sake, it’s an opportunity to insert a unique skill into their sub package, and a move that could especially pay off against mobile quarterbacks. With Jake Locker slated as the first opposing starting quarterback, the Patriots will face a task of an athletic player who can break the pocket and do damage. Having Cunningham on the field adds a player who can pursue the quarterback not only as he stands in the pocket, but also if he scrambles out of it.

This is one of the more interesting personnel developments this year. Does Cunningham really have potential inside? Or is it a move of necessity given the absence of Myron Pryor and how Fanene didn’t work out? We’ll see how Cunningham produces inside, but the lack of a “get-up-the-field” d-tackle at the top end of the depth chart is noticeable.