New England Patriots
fromMusket Fire
6 hours agoPatriots may pass on fixing major need while eyeing star free agent in 2027
Patriots may replace Hunter Henry with Kyle Pitts in 2027 due to Henry's age and impending free agency.
A big reason the New England Patriots find themselves set to play the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX is the success of their pass rush, which leads the NFL in postseason sacks. Outside linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson has been helping spearhead the defensive unit in that department during the playoffs, with a team-high three sacks and 14 quarterback pressures, the second-highest total league wide.
After being selected by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, he would catch just two balls during his rookie year. He was quiet for the bulk of his sophomore campaign as well until he averaged 80 yards across his last three games, including a 117-yard performance in Week 18. Across his first 12 games that season, he'd average just 23.3 yards per game.
"If there's one person, two people that aren't executing to the best of their abilities, he's going to find that crease," Rams veteran linebacker Troy Reeder said. "And they have a unit as a whole that does a really good job of getting him started in his returns. ... You just want to contain this guy, and not let him make a play that could change the game."
"It didn't matter if it was March, March was really important because March led to April," he added. "April was really important because it led to May and so-forth all the way up to the start of the season, all the way up to the final games of the season to prepare us for the playoffs and then if we were fortunate enough to make it to the last game, we were so prepared because every day was important."