The Jets are losing a key contributor to a divison rival.
Brandon Copeland is signing with the New England Patriots, as The Boston Globe’s Jim McBride first reported. The Patriots showed interest in Copeland last offseason as well, but he opted to re-sign with the Jets.
Copeland’s departure creates a hole at outside linebacker. He started 13 games on the outside over the last two seasons with Gang Green. With fellow OLB Jordan Jenkins unlikely to return, the Jets are left with Tarrell Basham, Ahmad Gooden, Harvey Langi, Frankie Luvu and Wyatt Ray on the outside.
Copeland’s 2019 season got off to a tumultuous start. He was suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy. Once he returned, Copeland proved to be a relatively impactful rotational linebacker, recording 28 tackles in his first five games.
He wound up starting three of 12 games he played last season with New York, registering 42 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two pass breakups and a forced fumble.
Copeland also provided the Jets with positional versatility last season. Once Neville Hewitt was hampered with a knee injury and the Jets already lost C.J. Mosley, Avery Williamson, Albert McClellan and Blake Cashman on the inside, Copeland stepped up. Not only did he line up in the middle and make plays in the run game in an unnatural position, but he also set the edge and contributed on special teams.
In 2018, during his first season in New York, Coplenad played in 16 games with 10 starts, recording 35 combined tackles and five sacks. Before that, the undrafted free agent out of Penn made stops in Detroit, Tennesee and Baltimore.