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lot of focus has been on the pass rush since the New England Patriots traded Pro-Bowl outside linebacker Matthew Judon, but stopping the run remains the first priority of any defense, and it’s an area where “underrated” Judon replacement Anfernee Jennings is expected to lead the Pats this season.
That’s the view of Patriots Wire writer Cam Garrity. He picks Jennings as New England’s most active and productive member of the front seven against the run in 2024. Jennings can live up to the billing since he “is one of the most underrated run defenders in the entire NFL.”
Garrity’s argument also makes sense because he envisages “an increased role in early downs replacing Judon” for Jennings. More work on first and second downs will naturally give Jennings extra opportunities to do what he does best, namely force the edge and make tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
A breakout year for Jennings can keep the Patriots’ defense strong even after Judon got dealt to the Atlanta Falcons, and while star defensive tackle Christian Barmore is sidelined dealing with an illness.
Those developments have stripped a stout unit of its star power. Yet, a new regime fronted by de facto general manager Eliot Wolf and head coach Jerod Mayo is trusting a core of unheralded players all re-signed this offseason.
Jennings is a key member of this group.
Anfernee Jennings Primed for Bigger Things
A Garrity pointed out, Jennings knows how to stuff running plays at source. One of the best examples occurred against the Pittsburgh Steelers last season on a play highlighted by Aaron Day of DLineVids: “Jennings gets extended, peeks, sheds his blocker & makes the tackle!”
This was a formidable mix of strength and technique, the two things needed to set the edge consistently in the pros. Ticking those boxes is how the Patriots have repelled the run for a quarter of a century out of the hybrid 3-4 fronts favored by Mayo’s decorated predecessor, six-time Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick.
The latter is gone, but Mayo and new defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington are expected to run the same scheme. They’ll appreciated Jennings’ schooling under Belichick that helped turn a former third-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft into a specialist in an unfashionable, but still vital area.
Today’s NFL is predominantly a pass-happy league, but no defense survives for long by being soft on the ground. Jennings ensures the Pats remain tough to dent on the deck, like when he routinely disrupted the Buffalo Bills’ rushing attack late last season, per Taylor Kyles of Patriots on CLNS.
Plays like this, combined with a heavier workload, are why Jennings can easily match Garrity’s “projected stats: 67 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovered.”
What’s not as easy to predict is whether Jennings can provide the Patriots with the pass-rush boost they need.
Patriots Need New Edge-Rusher to Emerge
A post-Judon rotation needs to produce one true game-wrecker able to create pressure from multiple angles. Jennings hardly fits the bill after logging a mere three sacks since entering the league.
He mustered just seven pressures and 1.5 quarterback takedowns, despite blitzing 55 times last season, according to Pro Football Reference. Jennings’ skill-set is valuable, but one-dimensional, so the Patriots must rely on other intriguing options stepping up as pass-rushers.
They include a “toolsy” and versatile defensive lineman who can line up anywhere along the front seven. There’s also Josh Uche, who like Jennings and safety Kyle Dugger, was given a new deal this offseason.
Uche recorded 11.5 sacks in 2022, so he knows how to collapse the pocket off the edge. So does Oshane Ximines, a castoff from the New York Giants, who has flashed signs of dominance in New England this offseason.
If Jennings adds another facet to his game, he’ll help Uche and others maintain the effectiveness of the Pats’ defense against both phases of offenses.
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