"The Boogeymen" are long gone, but the New England Patriots’ defense still has a chance to be pretty scary in 2020.

If the Patriots want to return to something resembling success, they’re going to need it to be.

There’s going to be a lot of talk about what the defense doesn’t have. Linebackers Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins left via free agency, safety Duron Harmon was traded and key role players like Danny Shelton and Elandon Roberts are also gone. [...]

"The Boogeymen" are long gone, but the New England Patriots’ defense still has a chance to be pretty scary in 2020.

If the Patriots want to return to something resembling success, they’re going to need it to be.

There’s going to be a lot of talk about what the defense doesn’t have. Linebackers Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins left via free agency, safety Duron Harmon was traded and key role players like Danny Shelton and Elandon Roberts are also gone.

When you include the opt-outs of Dont’a Hightower and Patrick Chung, it’s easy to believe anyone who says the Patriots won’t be able to replicate anything near last year’s success.

The "sky is falling" mentality about the Patriots’ defense works well for talk radio ratings and page views, but the bottom line is this unit is beyond solid. We’re not talking the 2015 Denver Broncos or anything, but the 2020 New England Patriots defense is going to be responsible for more wins than losses this season.

New England’s strength is where any defense wants to be strongest — up front and the secondary.

The lack of experience at linebacker is clearly going to be an issue, but if you look at the group head coach Bill Belichick put together, there’s a fair amount of speed. If you take a look at the schedule, that may explain a lot.

The Patriots’ schedule is littered with mobile quarterbacks who are the best of the best — Russell Wilson in Seattle, Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City, Lamar Jackson in Baltimore, DeShaun Watson in Houston. Throw in two meetings with Buffalo’s Josh Allen, Kyler Murray in Arizona, a potential of Tyrod Taylor for the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 13 and some guy named Garoppolo in San Francisco in Week 7 (plus Miami possibly starting Tua Tagovailoa in Week 15).

You’ll see pocket-first guys like Derek Carr (Las Vegas) in Week 3, Drew Lock (Denver) in Week 5, Jared Goff in Week 14 (Los Angeles Rams), not to mention two games with Sam Darnold and the New York Jets, but it seems the defense was put together with speed in mind.

Speed isn’t a problem in the secondary and neither is talent, as the group that was rated the best in the NFL by Pro Football Focus last season should be among the best in the league again.

Stephon Gilmore is the best of the best and he’ll get challenged by a few big names this season — the matchup against Arizona’s DeAndre Hopkins in Week 12 should be awesome to witness — but the secondary is more than just the 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Jason McCourty was ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 20 overall cornerback heading into the 2020 season, giving the Patriots two shutdown guys. Jonathan Jones’ reputation is growing after every game and he’s turned himself into one of the best, and add slot corner J.C. Jackson to the mix and it’s a nightmare for any team trying to establish a passing attack.

The safeties on the roster only help solidify things. Six made the roster — although Cody Davis is primarily a special-teams guy — and the Patriots hope one or two of them can fill the role of Chung.

Terrence Brooks filled in last year and proved he can do the job. Rookie Kyle Duggar shined in camp and JoeJuan Williams looks ready to make a leap in his second season. Keep an eye on Adrian Phillips, who’s only two years removed from an All-Pro season.

New England’s defensive line doesn’t have the depth of the secondary, but it has some pretty underrated talent. While it lacks the name power or a fan favorite, it’s only because people are slow to realizing how good a player Lawrence Guy is at defensive tackle.

Guy is the anchor up front but he’s far from the only potential star. Adam Butler turned into a monster late in the year as a run-stopper and the Patriots hope Byron Cowart can develop in similar ways as well. Deatrich Wise got bigger and stronger and, while he was inconsistent at times, he’s flashed some serious talent.

Linebacker is another story.

The Patriots have eight linebackers — five outside, three inside — on the roster and, other than John Simon and Chase Winovich, it’s really hard to figure out what to expect from anyone. Will they be able to find someone who can consistently get to the quarterback? Coverage is also a concern, but to be fair, there aren’t many teams loaded with linebackers who can also shut down running backs coming out of the backfield or pick up on a tight end.

Hightower’s role as a leader in the middle of the defense is going to be hardest to replace. Ja’Whaun Bentley was named captain and a lot is being put on his shoulders. Many good things have been said about rookie Josh Uche, and Anfernee Jennings is also full of potential, but there’s really nothing to judge either on until the Patriots play a game.

Winovich became an early fan favorite last year and expect that base to grow more than his hair. He had 5.5 sacks last season and, not to set the bar too high, but current All-Pro and former Patriot Chandler Jones had 6 during his rookie season.

John Simon is a Belichick-type of player who shows up, does his job and doesn’t worry about much else. For the other three — Brandon Copeland, Shilique Calhoun and Derek Rivers — the question marks couldn’t be larger. Rivers is a pass-rush specialist who’s been hammered by injuries since being drafted in 2017 and has played only six games. Copeland is a versatile linebacker who had a career year in 2018, but his playing time decreased in 2019 following a four-game suspension. Calhoun has been a depth piece who has contributed mainly on special teams in his career.

Worry about the linebackers. There’s some promise and, if it comes through, there aren’t going to be very many defenses better than New England’s. If it doesn’t, the season’s going to be a lot longer.