Tag: Brandon Copeland

Brandon Copeland signing could show Bill Belichick’s tremendous savvy

A savvy, cheap move by Bill Belichick.

The New England Patriots had no shortage of departures in free agency in 2020, in part because Bill Belichick exhausted most of the team’s cap space before free agency began.

So the coach resorted to money-balling this offseason. He added very cheap and relatively unknown players: linebacker Brandon Copeland, receiver Damiere Byrd, safety Adrian Phillips and defensive tackle Beau Allen, among others. The Copeland signing, in particular, has the potential to show Belichick’s impressive ability to maneuver the free agency market.

Before free agency opened, the coach enacted cornerback Jason McCourty’s option, re-signed safety Devin McCourty and receiver Matthew Slater and placed the franchise tag on guard Joe Thuney. That left almost no room to re-sign quarterback Tom Brady, linebackers Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins, offensive lineman Ted Karras and defensive tackle Danny Shelton. Especially with Brady heading to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there was a sense in New England that Belichick intended to rebuild, rather than just reboot.

But this seems like more of the same for the coach and general manger, who traded away Randy Moss and Chandler Jones and let Wes Welker walk in free agency. Belichick is the same man who traded away Jamie Collins, who signed an absurd sum in Cleveland ($50 million) only to return to New England for a humble one-year $1.05-million deal. This offseason, Belichick let Brady walk, a next-level display of his business-first mentality.

But let’s get back to the linebackers and let’s get back to Copeland. It sounds ridiculous to put an emphasis on the signing of an outside linebacker, who will make just $1 million in 2020. But that worked just fine for the folks who tabbed the Van Noy trade, in which Belichick sent a sixth-round pick to the Lions in exchange for Van Noy and a seventh-round pick, as an impressive move at the time it happened. This isn’t to say Copeland will be Van Noy or Collins — or even a starter. Copeland will surely be in the mix to start for New England in 2020, likely on special teams and at outside linebacker.

But the fact that Belichick is taking a shot on Copeland — and similarly, linebacker Shilique Calhoun — is a showing of his ingenuity. Copeland was a two-year starter for the New York Jets over the last two seasons. He missed four games, but managed 42 tackles, 1.5 sacks and one forced fumble. In 2018, he had five sacks and 35 tackles.

Belichick is unwilling to pay Van Noy $51 million and Collins $30 million, because the coach knows he played a huge part in getting them to that point. Maybe — just maybe — Belichick and his staff can elevate the play of their next two starting linebackers, whether it’s Copeland and Calhoun or someone else.

[vertical-gallery id=83044]

4 things to know about new Jets G Greg Van Roten

Here are four things to know about new Jets guard Greg Van Roten.

The Jets have made the offensive line a priority this offseason and continued that trend with the addition of Greg Van Roten.

Van Roten and the Jets agreed on a three-year deal Saturday evening after talks heated up between the two sides on Friday. In all likelihood, Van Roten will take Brian Winters’ job at right guard.

While Van Roten hasn’t been an All-Pro or even a Pro Bowler, he has been rock solid in pass protection the last two years, allowing just three sacks and five quarterback hits on 1,144 passing snaps. Like all of Joe Douglas’ offensive lineman signings thus fas, Van Roten is versatile. His primary position is guard, but Van Roten can also play center and tackle if need be.

Let’s get to know more about the Jets’ latest offensive line acquisition.

Grew up a Jets fan

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Not many athletes get to play for the team they grew up rooting for, but Van Roten is an exception.

Van Roten, originally from Rockville Centre, New York, grew up a Jets fan. He was born in 1990, so he has seen plenty of the same suffering that Jets fans have dealt with in recent years.

Now Van Roten wants to be part of the solution. The last time he saw the Jets in the playoffs was in 2010, when he was still at the University of Pennsylvania. So he’s itching to help his hometown get back to the postseason in 2020.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

Instant analysis of Patriots signing Brandon Copeland

Considering the departures at OLB, Brandon Copeland could emerge as a starter.

The New England Patriots need help at linebacker after losing two starters, Jamie Collins, Kyle Van Noy, and a backup, Elandon Roberts, in free agency this offseason. Bill Belichick seems to have identified a former New York Jets contributor, who might fit in nicely in New England.

It’s impossible to say if Copeland will immediately slot into a starting job for the Patriots. He’s former undrafted free agent who came out of Penn. He’s spent time with the Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans, Detroit Lions and New York Jets. But there are reasons for optimism for the outside linebacker, in large part because of the major departures at the position.

He didn’t earn a significant defensive role until he joined New York in 2018, when he amassed 35 tackles, five sacks, two pass deflections and 14 quarterback hits. That served as his breakout season. Clearly, he has the ability to contribute in different elements of the game, with some tools as a run defender and pass-rusher. His 2019 season was solid (42 tackles, 1.5 sacks, four QB hits, two pass deflections), but he missed four games after violating the NFL’s PED policy, a transgression which led to Copeland threatening a lawsuit against the supplement company.

His size and length (6-foot-3, 265 pounds) isn’t all that different from Van Noy and Collins. It’s not hard to imagine the Patriots thinking Copeland can serve as their replacement. But the biggest different is that Copeland is set to make just $1 million in 2020 while Van Noy and Collins just landed mega paydays. New England has generally deferred big payment to other teams in free agency, with careful financial rewards to some in-house players. This season, New England elected to retain Devin McCourty, Joe Thuney, Matthew Slater and Jason McCourty. That forced them to look for lower-budget options at the linebacker position, among others positions (like quarterback).

Copeland seems like the kind of diamond in the rough which could thrive in New England’s defense. And even if he doesn’t, the Patriots didn’t risk millions to find out.

[vertical-gallery id=77566]

Brandon Copeland headed to rival Patriots after 2 years with Jets

Brandon Copeland is headed to New England after the Jets free agent OLB spent his previous two seasons in New York.

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.

Report: Patriots sign former Jets linebacker Brandon Copeland

The Patriots added to their defense on Sunday, signing former Jets linebacker Brandon Copeland.

The New England Patriots continue to be busy in free agency, and Sunday was no different. They agreed to terms with former Jets linebacker Brandon Copeland, according to The Boston Globe’s Jim McBride.

Copeland went undrafted in the 2013 NFL Draft, and he began his career with the Baltimore Ravens. Since then, he has bounced around the league, spending time with the New York Jets over the last two seasons.

The 2018 season was the best one of his career. He played in 16 games, starting 10 of them. Recording two pass deflections, he recorded five sacks and 35 tackles. His 14 quarterback hits  were also a career-high.

Copeland had his best year tackle-wise last year. He played in 12 games, starting three of them. He recorded 42 tackles and three quarterback hits. He also forced a fumble, and recorded a sack and a half.

The Patriots certainly need to add depth to the linebacker position. After losing Elandon Roberts and Kyle van Noy as well as Jamie Collins, linebacker is certainly a positional priority for the organization moving forward.

The organization has already began to add pieces defensively, with Beau Allen and Adrian Phillips joining the team last week.

It will be interesting to see what other moves the organization makes as they retool the team.

[vertical-gallery id=82493]

Jets OLB Brandon Copeland wins NFLPA Community Award

Jets outside linebacker Brandon Copeland was honored with the 2020 Alan Page NFLPA Community Award on Thursday.

It was only a matter of time before Jets outside linebacker Brandon Copeland received some sort of official recognition for his work in the community.

On Thursday, Copeland was honored with the 2020 Alan Page Award by the NFL Player’s Association. The award is the NFLPA’s highest honor and is granted to one player every season. Copeland will receive a $100,000 donation either to his foundation or charity of his choice.

Since joining the Jets in 2018, Copeland has worked extensively with underprivileged youths throughout the five boroughs. This year, he took 300 children on a Christmas shopping spree to Target with each child getting a $200 gift card to spend.

Copeland has not only attempted to impact New York’s underprivileged youths, but those around the country as well. As the holidays approached, he recruited players across the NFL to orchestrate similar shopping sprees in their respective cities.

“The power you have is monumental. Please continue to do the right thing and highlight the good with your pen, and know that as players, we’re working our tails off to make an impact while we have the platform,” Copeland told reporters after accepting the award.

Copeland might not be back with the Jets in 2020. His contract with the team is up and it remains to be seen if general manager Joe Douglas has any interest in retaining him.

Either way, Copeland’s impact on the underprivileged youths of the Big Apple will not soon be forgotten. He might not be the biggest star on the field, but he sure is one in the community he has called home for the last two years.

Jets Free Agent Profile: What to do with OLB Brandon Copeland?

Jets Wire evaluates if New York should re-sign impending free agent outside linebacker Brandon Copeland this offseason.

Before Joe Douglas can focus on who he plans to target in free agency come March, he’ll have a handful of in-house decisions to make.

The Jets have 32 players set to hit the open market this offseason. Some don’t figure to factor into New York’s plans for 2020, while it’s safe to assume the Jets would like to keep others around for a while. Either way, Douglas has a lot of work to do in his first offseason on the job.

Brandon Copeland’s 2019 season got off to a fortuitous start, but he proved to be a relatively productive rotational linebacker as the year progressed. Will he be back with New York in 2020? Let’s evaluate the situation in Jets Wire’s latest free agent profile.

Pros of keeping him

After returning to the field in October following a four-game suspension to begin the season, Copeland made an instant impact by recording 28 tackles in his first five games. That might not seem like a big number, but considering the banged up state of New York’s linebacker room upon his return, Copeland’s production was much-needed.

Copeland also offers positional versatility. He is predominantly an edge rusher, but can also line up on the inside and make plays in the run game.

Cons of keeping him

Copeland didn’t contribute much following his strong five-game stretch, registering only seven tackles over New York’s final six games.

The fact that Copeland didn’t see much playing time down the stretch speaks volumes when it comes to his future with the team. Yes, teams who are not making the playoffs use the end of the season to give younger players an extended run, but the Jets didn’t have many linebackers in the mix due to injury.

Copeland couldn’t crack a thin linebacker core at the end of the season. With that in mind, it’s hard to see him having a spot when C.J. Mosley, Avery Williamson and Blake Cashman come back healthy next season. Factor in young edge rushers such as Jordan Jenkins and Frankie Luvu likely returning and Copeland’s future with the team becomes even grimmer.

The verdict

All signs point towards Copeland not returning next season. He is at the bottom of the pecking order in New York’s outside linebacker rotation and it’s hard to see him rising past any of Gang Green’s younger pass rushers.

Copeland had a fruitful stay at One Jets Drive, but odds are his time in Florham Park is up.

Jets LB Brandon Copeland finalist for NFLPA Alan Page Community Award

Brandon Copeland has been named a finalist for the NFLPA Alan Page Community Award.

Jets linebacker Brandon Copeland is being recognized for his involvement in the community.

Copeland is one of five finalists for the NFLPA Alan Page Community Award. It’s the highest honor the NFLPA can bestow on a player. During the last week of the regular season, Copeland was named the NFLPA’s Community MVP.

Copeland helped over 300 underprivileged youth for the holidays. He took the kids on shopping sprees throughout New York and New Jersey to make sure they had gifts for the holiday season.

Copeland does all of these events through his Beyond the Basics Foundation. The NFLPA has already donated $10,000 to his foundation to help with future events.

The Jets have a handful of players that are involved in the community. Kelvin Beachum already won the NFLPA’s Community MVP with his drive collecting water bottles and assisting with the United Way of Greater Newark. Meanwhile, Jonotthan Harrison is the Jets’ Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee this year because of his fight against bullying in schools.

It certainly wasn’t a good year for the Jets on the field, but it’s good to see individuals on the team being recognized for their work off of it.

Jets vs. Raiders inactives: No surprises for New York in Week 12

Jets vs. Raiders inactives report for Week 12.

The Jets are relatively healthy heading into their Week 12 showdown with the Oakland Raiders.

No surprises popped up on New York’s inactives report on Sunday, as offensive linemen Chuma Edoga and Kelvin Beachum will suit up as expected despite being listed as questionable throughout the week. The same applies to Henry Anderson, Brandon Copeland, Neville Hewitt, Alex Lewis, Steve McLendon and Demaryius Thomas.

Darryl Roberts, Mathias Farley, Paul Worrilow and C.J. Mosley are all out as expected.

Sunday marks Roberts’ third consecutive missed game while, special teams ace Farley misses his first of the season and Worrilow remains on the sideline as he works his way back into shape.

As for the Raiders, they’ll be without starting cornerback/safety hybrid Lamarcus Joyner. Joyner made the trip to New York with the team, but will ultimately miss his second consecutive game due to a hamstring injury. Oakland is also without offensive lineman David Sharpe, who was ruled out early in the week with a calf injury.

Jets injury report: Chris Herndon, Brian Winters to miss significant time

Both Chris Herndon and Brian Winters will miss significant time due to injury.

The Jets lost two more starters due to injury following their 34-27 win over the Giants.

Adam Gase spoke to the media Monday and said that tight end Chris Herndon fractured a rib on Sunday and will be out for “an extended period of time.” For Herndon, it’s been a wild ride this season. He missed the first four games of the season due to suspension. He then then missed four more games due to a hamstring injury. Sunday was his first game of the season; he had one catch on the day.

The other big injury the Jets suffered was to offensive lineman Brian Winters. He re-dislocated his shoulder. Gase said it will be hard to get him back on the field this season. More likely than not, he’ll need surgery.

Linebacker Brandon Copeland has a hip strain and will see a specialist, so that could be another issue for New York’s already-depleted group of linebackers.

The only good news is that Le’Veon Bell is okay after leaving Sunday’s game with sore ribs.