With the 2017 season in the books, The Providence Journal will take a look at each position group on the Patriots, analyzing how the team performed in 2017 and where it might be heading in the future.
Linebacker
Dont’a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy, Elandon Roberts, Marquis Flowers, David Harris, Harvey Langi, Shea McClellin, Nicholas Grigsby, Trevor Reilly
Contract situation: The Patriots have bodies in place but plenty of questions [...]
With the 2017 season in the books, The Providence Journal will take a look at each position group on the Patriots, analyzing how the team performed in 2017 and where it might be heading in the future.
Linebacker
Dont’a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy, Elandon Roberts, Marquis Flowers, David Harris, Harvey Langi, Shea McClellin, Nicholas Grigsby, Trevor Reilly
Contract situation: The Patriots have bodies in place but plenty of questions remain at the linebacker position.
Hightower is in the second year of a four-year extension. He’ll account for $8.523 million of the Patriots salary cap this season. His number grows to $10.375 million in 2019 and $11.375 million in 2020. The Pats can get out of this contract after this season but would have a $5 million dead cap hit.
Van Noy was given a two-year extension last season. He’ll count as a $3.573 million cap hit in 2018. That number goes up to $6.417 million in 2019, but only $1.167 million of that is guaranteed.
Roberts is in the third year of his rookie deal. He is signed through 2019 and his cap hit is $655,089 this season.
McClellin enters 2018 on the final year of his deal. His cap hit is $3.183 million. The Patriots could save $2.35 million if they release the veteran.
Langi is in the second year of his rookie deal. His cap hit is $560,000 in 2018.
Grigsby is signed for $645,000 in 2018. He’ll be a restricted free agent next year.
Harris retired last month. Flowers and Reilly are free agents.
2017 review: Well, this wasn’t pretty. The linebacker unit was one of the weakest in Foxboro in recent memory.
It didn’t start off well for the position as Hightower played only five games before ending up on the injured reserve list due to a torn pectoral muscle. The Pro Bowler and All-Pro left a void that the Patriots could not fill. The Pats also didn’t have McClellin or Langi, as both missed the season.
Van Noy stepped up in Hightower’s absence, and had a career year, finishing with 73 tackles and 5.5 sacks (all career highs). Unfortunately, a calf injury caused him to miss three games and slowed his progress at the end of the regular season.
The Patriots brought in Harris to help fill the void at middle linebacker, but the 33-year-old had little left. He played in 10 games and was inactive for the playoffs.
That elevated Roberts to a starting position. The sixth-round pick finished with 67 tackles and two sacks. He struggled with consistency during his second season, often shooting the wrong gap or struggling in pass coverage.
Flowers ended up playing a bigger role down the stretch. The former special teams contributor showed he could play defense, too. He finished with a career-high 32 tackles and 3.5 sacks.
In the end, the front seven wasn’t good enough. That was seen in the Patriots Super Bowl LII loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The future: There should be sweeping changes at the linebacker position this offseason. Upgrading the front seven is priority No. 1 on defense.
When it comes down to the Patriots' biggest need, it’s outside and inside linebacker. There’s nothing wrong with having the outstanding Hightower as your best linebacker, but with his durability issues, you need better depth behind him. Van Noy played well in his absence but the Patriots absolutely need to find better quality depth at this position.
They should start in free agency where there are a couple of solid veterans available. At the Combine, Buffalo’s Preston Brown (144 tackles last year) told the Boston Herald he’d be interested in going to Foxboro. A free-agent signing like that would instantly give the Patriots a better inside linebacker. Although Roberts has shown some potential, it looked like the 23-year-old was given too much responsibility last season. He needs to improve quickly if he wants to be a full-time starter in the NFL.
When the draft is held in April, outside linebacker could be the team’s top need. With Van Noy signed through 2019 and Hightower signed for the next three years (although it remains to be seen if the Pats will keep him with how much his contract escalates), the Patriots would be wise to find their next Hightower in the early rounds.