"The New England Patriots' offseason was headlined by the signing of Milton Williams, the drafting of Will Campbell, and tales of Drake Maye's rapid development, but their more under-the-radar signings have been just as impressive. One of those additions has been Khyiris Tonga, a nose tackle signed from the Cardinals. Tonga has been a force in the run game, playing 277 snaps through his first twelve games and anchoring one of the best run defenses in football."
"Without Milton Williams, the Patriots' run defense has struggled a bit. Their last game against the Bengals was their first without their highly paid star, and it also marked the first time a rusher cracked 100 yards in a game, as Chase Brown's 19 carries went for 107 yards. Tonga is the team's best run stopper with Williams gone, and Christian Barmore struggles against the run."
Khyiris Tonga, signed from the Cardinals, has played 277 snaps through his first twelve games and anchored one of the league's best run defenses. He has recently been used as a fullback after the Jack Westover experiment faded, logging nine offensive snaps and performing strongly in run blocking. In nine recent run-blocking snaps Tonga posted an 87.2 grade, 14th in the league without snap-count filters. The Patriots' run defense weakened without Milton Williams, allowing Chase Brown 107 yards on 19 carries. Tonga is the top run stopper remaining; losing both Williams and Tonga would force reliance on Cory Durden, Joshua Farmer, and Eric Gregory and represent a difficult replacement challenge. On/off splits show Tonga on-field -0.10 EPA per rush and off-field +0.02 EPA per rush, underscoring his impact.
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