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The New England Patriots have leaned into the idea the 2024 NFL season is a transition year, so their rebuild will gather speed in 2025, funded by a pile of free-agency cash. Funds the Pats are tipped to use to sign edge-rusher Malcolm Koonce from the Las Vegas Raiders.
It’s a prediction from Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine. He thinks “a large budget” means the Patriots “are going to have the opportunity to outbid teams for at least a few players.”
Resources and opportunity should put Koonce on New England’s radar, even if he’s a tough target to define. Ballentine explained “Koonce is going to be a free agent that some teams won’t know what to do with. He had a breakout year in 2023, but suffered a season-ending knee injury during practice ahead of his contract year. The Patriots should be in the market for pass-rushing talent in the offseason and Koonce might be the best combination of available talent and age.”
The pass rush is an evolving thing for the Patriots. They’ve traded away more than one quality edge defender and are relying on developing talent and clever scheming to put pressure on quarterbacks.
Malcolm Koonce Fits Patriots Template for Pass Rush
Koonce may be nursing a knee injury, but the 26-year-old is a natural scheme fit for what the Patriots like at the edges of their front seven. Namely, flexible players who set the edge and even play in space as outside linebackers, while also being able to put their hands in the dirt and win pass-rush matchups as traditional defensive ends.
Loading up with this physical blueprint allows the Pats to play a hybrid defense and change the picture up front. Confusion and brute force are the ideal combination for a successful pass rush, so Koonce is worth the risk for the Patriots.
The 6-foot-3, 250-pounder won for fun during an eight-sack campaign in 2023. Koonce also showed a flair for making splash plays by forcing a trio of fumbles.
Although his numbers might’ve been inflated by the attention teams pay Raiders All-Pro Maxx Crosby, Koonce, when he’s fully healthy, would give the Pats an ideal partner for burgeoning star Keion White. The latter is the lone marquee force in this season’s pass rush, but he’s being propped up by schemes rather than complementary talent.
Patriots are Scheming Credible Pass Rush
Putting consistent heat on the pocket had been a season-long problem, but the defense amassed nine sacks against the Chicago Bears in Week 10. The effort required an elaborate sub-package called ‘Longhorn,’ built around special teams star Brenden Schooler acting as a spy on Williams, highlighted by Patriots.com Staff Writer Evan Lazar.
While the plan worked at Soldier Field, the Patriots need a greater reliance on individuals to win pass-rush matchups. White, who has five QB takedowns to his credit this season, can be trusted to wreck blocking schemes, but few others on this Patriots defense are doing the same.
A talent exodus led by the decision to trade four-time Pro Bowler Matthew Judon started the rot. The Patriots shed another quality pass-rusher when they dealt Josh Uche to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Perhaps a veteran newcomer will plug the gap, but that’s a short-term fix. The Patriots need a lasting solution, something a team projected by Spotrac.com to have $137,215,621 worth of space under next year’s salary cap, should find in free agency.
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