What does Kyle Van Noy mean for the Patriots

The New England Patriots defense took a big step back last year, after leading the league in scoring in 2019. With major contributors like Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins leaving in free agency, and Dont’a Hightower choosing not to As for Coronavirus, the group simply did not achieve the same quality in 2020, especially as a linebacker.

Go ahead today and you will be able to find a unit that was rebuilt in the early stages of the free agency. Not only is Hightower expected to return after his one-year absence, the Patriots also hired Matthew Judon to reinforce the advantage. The latest addition, announced on Wednesday, also helps address this area of ​​defense: after his release from the Miami Dolphins, New England signed again with Van Noy on a two-year contract.

Difficult facts

Name: Kyle Van Noy

Position: External linebacker / leading defender

Opening day age: 30

Size: 6 ft-3, 250 pounds

Contract: 2 years, $ 13.2 million

Experience

After a highly productive four-year career at BYU, Van Noy entered the NFL in 2014 as a run-off choice for the Detroit Lions. Van Noy spent two and a half seasons in Detroit and participated in 31 games for the organization, but he never found the balance. Coach Jim Caldwell and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin tried to use him in a traditional 4-3 role not suited to his diverse skill set, which in turn led him to appear shy and unsure when on the pitch.

This further increased the lack of confidence that the technical team enjoyed and contributed to the Lions’ decision to place him in the trading bloc. In 2016, despite being in the middle of his most successful season up to that point, Van Noy and a draft seventh round pick the following year were sent to New England for a sixth round selection. The Lions, as he would later discover, climbed just 24 positions to get rid of the linebacker – one who became a mainstay in the defense of the Patriots who won two Super Bowls.

Over the next three and a half seasons, Van Noy played 61 combined regular season and playoff games for the Patriots and proved to be a consistent playmaker and well-respected locker room leader. His versatile skill set was a perfect match for the defense of multiple New England fronts, and he recorded 22 sacks, as well as nine forced fumbles, four recoveries, a pair of interceptions and two touchdowns. Given his production, however, it was no surprise to see Van Noy leaving New England in search of greener pastures last season.

Just a year after the start of the $ 51 million contract with the Dolphins, however, Van Noy was cut again – despite another productive season. This, in turn, opened the door for him to return to the Patriots.

Patriots preview

What is your role projected in New England? When Van Noy first arrived in New England in 2016, he was moved by the entire formation to take advantage of his athletics and instincts. That role has changed a bit over the years and he ended up being used more as a traditional external linebacker during his last season at the club. Given the team’s problems at that location in 2020, returning to that position would make sense to deal with one of the main weaknesses of the New England defense: establishing a strong advantage against the race.

Where does it fit in the linebacker’s depth graph? With Matthew Judon also added to the mix, the Patriots are designed to have a solid edge group: Van Noy and Judon are the experienced beginners at the top of the depth table, with young Chase Winovich and Josh Uche behind them as specific rotational players of the package. In addition, its versatility also allows Van Noy to offer depth in the linebacker position outside the ball – another major problem for the defense of New England in 2020.

Does he have positional versatility? Even though the Patriots used him primarily as an external linebacker in 2019, Van Noy has repeatedly shown in the past that he is also more than capable of fulfilling the role of hybrid movement: he can not only play on the line of scrimmage, but also line up out of it as a more traditional cash linebacker. Last year, in Miami, for example, he played that last role in 27.6% of his defensive plays (against 6.6% during his last year in New England).

What is the value of your special teams? Although Van Noy has many snapshots of kicking games under his belt, he has only been used occasionally on special teams in the past two seasons. His last year with the Patriots and the only one like Dolphin saw him enter the third stage of the game on only 13 occasions. It goes without saying that its value in this area of ​​the game can be considered limited.

What does this mean for the New England wage ceiling? Although the final split, including incentives and bonuses, determines the impact of the ceiling in 2021 and 2022, the initially reported $ 13.2 million worth of Van Noy’s two-year pact makes it appear that he will not leave a very big mark on us. team books this season. If you follow the structure of other negotiations traditionally distributed by the Patriots, your limit reached this year will be significantly less than the next.

What does this mean for the New England project prospects? Although Van Noy and Judon are added to the mix this week, the Patriots investing in the linebacker’s depth during the draft cannot be categorically ruled out. The advantage seems to be well defined with the two veterans, as well as Winovich, Uche and Anfernee Jennings, but the off-the-ball group would still benefit from another high-level talent to possibly prepare as the successor to Dont’a Hightower.

Verdict of a sentence: Bringing in Kyle Van Noy adds even more positional flexibility to the top seven in New England, while addressing some of the main problems from a year ago.