Signing Kylie Van Noy is what the Patriots are all about

New England took a big step behind the Patriots’ defense last year after leading the league in scoring in 2019. Leaving key contributors like Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins in free agency, and Donta Hightower left the coronavirus concern. , The group failed in the same quality field in 2020, especially on the linebacker position.

Go ahead early today and you can find a unit that has been rebuilt in the early stages of free agency. Not only was he expected to rise after his one-year absence, but the Patriots also signed Matthew Juden to strengthen the edge. The latest addition, announced Wednesday, also helps address this area of ​​conservation: After his release from the Miami Dolphins, New England re-signed Van Noy to a two-year reporting agreement.

Strict facts

Name: Kyle Van Noy

Status: Out linebacker / edge defender

Opening day: 30

Size: 6 ft-3, 250 lbs

Agreement: 2 years, .2 13.2 million

Experience

After a very productive four-year career at BYU, Van Noy entered the NFL in 2014 as a second-round draft pick by the Detroit Lions. Wayne Noy spent two seasons in Detroit and appeared in 31 games for the organization, but he never got on his feet. Head coach Jim Cuddwell and defensive coordinator Terrell Austin tried to use him in a traditional 4-3 role that was not conducive to his custom skill set, making him look timid and insecure while on the field.

This increased the lack of trust he received from the coaching staff and the Lions contributed to the decision to put him on the trade block. In 2016, despite being in the middle of his most successful season at the time, Wayne Noy and the following year were sent to New England for a sixth-round draft pick in the seventh round. The Lions, as will come out later, moved up just 24 spots to get rid of the linebacker – one that became the mainstay of the Patriots defense, winning two Super Bowls.

During the following three-and-a-half seasons, Vannnotts played 61 combined regular season and playoff games for the Patriots and proved himself a consistent playmaker and well-respected locker room leader. His multifaceted skill set was an excellent match for New England’s multiple-front defense, and he recorded 22 sacks as well as nine forcible fouls, four rebounds, a pair of intercepts and two touchdowns. However, given his production, it is not surprising to see Van Noy leaving New England for the last se fisson of green grass.

In just one year of four years, he signed a 51 51 million deal with the Dolphins, however, Van Noy was cut again – despite a second productive season. This, in turn, opened the door for him to return to the Patriots.

Patriots preview

What is its approximate role in New England? When Van Nyoy first returned to New England in 2016, he moved into all formations to take advantage of his athleticism and instincts. That role changed little over the years and eventually in his final season with the club he was increasingly used as a traditional outside linebacker. Given the team’s issues in that position in 2020, returning to that capacity would make sense to address one of New England’s biggest weaknesses in defense: building a stunt against the run.

Where does that linebacker fit on the depth chart? Matthew Judd also added to the mix, with the Patriots speculating to be a solid edge group: Van Noy and Juden are young players with Chase Winowitch and Josh Uche behind them as package-specific rotational players. Moreover, its versatility also allowed Van Noy to provide depth at the depth f-the-ball linebacker position – another major issue for New England’s defense in 2020.

Does it have static diversity? Even though the Patriots used it primarily as an external linebacker in 2019, Van Noy has repeatedly shown in the past that he is also capable of playing the role of a hybrid move: he can not only play the role of letters, but also align. Turn it off as a more traditional bline x linebacker. In Miami last year, for example, he played a subsequent role over 27.6 per cent of his defensive tackles (up from 6.6 per cent during New England’s final year).

What is the value of his special teams? While he has plenty of kicking games on his NFL resume, Van Noy has only been used on special teams in the last two seasons. His final year with the Patriots and as his only Dolphin saw him enter the third round of the game on just 13 occasions. Needless to say, its value in this area of ​​the game may be limited.

What does that mean for New England’s salary cap? The final breakdown, including incentives and bonuses, will determine its cap effect in 2021 and 2022, while Van Noy’s two-year contract initially reportedly worth 13.2 million seems unlikely to make a big impression on the team’s books this season. If it follows the composition of other deals traditionally traded by the Patriots, its cap hits this year will be significantly lower than next.

What does that mean for New England’s draft outlook? Although Wayne Noy and Juden were added to the mix this week, the Patriots who invested heavily in line depth during the draft cannot be explicitly denied. The edge seems to be well set with two veterans as well as Jennings of Winowich, Uche and Enfer, but the -f-the-ball group will still benefit from the highest-level talent as a successor to D’N’Hightower.

One sentence judgment: Bringing in Kyle Wayne Noy adds more stable relief to New England’s seven, taking into account some of the key issues from a year ago.