Tag: brenden schooler

Patriots veteran wants more defensive snaps for special teams ace

Davon Godchaux made a pitch for his teammate Brenden Schooler.

New England Patriots defensive tackle Davon Godchaux took notice of Brenden Schooler’s performance in Sunday’s win over the Chicago Bears.

Schooler recorded a sack, a tackle and two quarterback hits on the day. Despite mostly being known for his special teams contributions, he factored into the Patriots’ defensive game plan as a spy on Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.

It was an unexpected wrinkle on defense from the Patriots.

“He needs to be there more often, especially against fast quarterbacks,” Godchaux said, via the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed. “We got Josh Allen, we got a couple of them coming up. He needs to be on defense more often.”

Schooler has been a dependable and versatile player for the Patriots since his arrival in 2022.

His emergence on defense is something that could be pivotal for the Patriots moving forward, as they look to generate more production from the pass rush.

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Patriots make two late additions to injury report ahead of Jets game

The Patriots had two late additions to their Week 8 injury report

The New England Patriots added veteran safety Kyle Dugger and standout special-teamer Brenden Schooler to the injury report for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets.

Dugger is now listed as questionable to play with an ankle injury, while Schooler is questionable with an illness.

Dugger was listed as a full participant on Thursday’s injury report, and he was completely left off the report on Friday. So the initial expectations were that he’d be ready to suit up and play against the Jets.

But his recent status change could put all of that in jeopardy. If Dugger isn’t able to play, the Patriots would be down both starting safeties against legendary quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Jets’ offense.

Safety Jabrill Peppers is still on the Commissioner’s Exempt List and ineligible to play.

The Patriots have been ravaged with injuries on both sides of the ball. However, the defense has felt the heaviest losses with linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley and defensive tackle Christian Barmore being out.

With Peppers and Matthew Judon also gone, stopping opposing offenses has become a weekly nightmare for this Patriots team.

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30 coaches wanted this underrated Patriots standout to be a free agent

Special teams coaches all over the league were eyeing Brenden Schooler’s contract status with the Patriots

New England Patriots special teams coach Jeremy Springer said that 30 other special teams coaches around the league texted him after learning of the Brenden Schooler contract extension.

The defensive back and standout special-teamer signed a three-year, $9 million extension with the Patriots last week. According to Springer, the other coaches claimed they would have been interested in Schooler if he hit the open market.

Schooler was named to the 2022 PFWA All-Rookie Team. He has continued to grow and improve since his first NFL season with 32 total tackles and four fumble recoveries in 38 games played.

He’s been a valuable piece of the Patriots’ special teams unit, and nearly every special teams coach, including Springer, has acknowledged it in some way.

The Patriots have made a point to re-sign their in-house talent throughout the offseason and during the regular season. Schooler might be the most underrated signing of the group.

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Patriots reportedly reach contract extension with special teams star

The Patriots continue to lock up homegrown talent

The New England Patriots agreed to a three-year, $9 million contract extension with special teams standout and defensive back Brenden Schooler on Friday, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, via Schooler’s agent, Alex Campbell of AJAX Sports Agency.

The contract includes $3.6 million guaranteed.

Schooler came to New England as an undrafted free agent in 2022. He has been a consistent player on the special teams unit in particular, as he has taken 846 snaps in total.

Schooler’s best year came in the 2022 season, when he made the PFWA All-Rookie Team.

He also plays the safety position, where he has totaled 32 career tackles and four fumble recoveries. He is off to a strong start for the 2024 campaign, as he has recorded five tackles on the year to this point.

The Patriots did a solid job in the offseason of locking up current talent on the roster, and that has clearly continued into the regular season with the team agreeing to an extension with Schooler.

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Patriots taking different approach with special teams players

Jerod Mayo has a new vision for Patriots special teams players

New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo is making an interesting personnel decision with safety Brenden Schooler and other special teams players on the roster.

Mayo has expressed that he wants to move away from having special teams-only players on the roster, via team reporter Zack Cox. That has led to Schooler taking more reps on the defense.

Schooler has made his mark as an extremely productive contributor on special teams. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team in 2022 for the unit.

Now, Mayo wants to see what he can do on the defensive side of the football this year.

It is worth noting that Schooler played safety at the collegiate level at Oregon.

He had a total of 143 tackles and four interceptions during his collegiate career. His versatility is evident, and it appears as though the Patriots are looking to maximize what he can do.

Two players in particular have surprised Patriots coach Jerod Mayo at OTAs

There have been two obvious standouts at OTAs, per Patriots coach Jerod Mayo

New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo admitted to being impressed by two players in particular during organized team activities.

One of those players is second-year defensive end Keion White, and the other is special teams veteran standout Brenden Schooler. Keep in mind, the Patriots are still early in the process. They haven’t even practiced with pads yet.

But Mayo has seen clear instances of growth from both players.

That’s a major positive for a Patriots team hoping to turn things around in 2024. The defensive unit took a massive hit when Matthew Judon went down with a season-ending biceps injury last season. So having White take that next step as a pass-rusher would help take some of the load off Judon, who turns 32 years old in August.

Meanwhile, Schooler will be looked at as the leader on special teams with legendary special-teamer Matthew Slater announcing his retirement back in February.

Patriots fans are hopeful some of those surprises come on the offensive side of the ball as well considering the unit ranked amongst the worst in the NFL last year. That unit’s improvement could mean the difference between winning and losing.

Brenden Schooler ready to take on bigger role for Patriots

Patriots special teams standout Brenden Schooler is ready to step up as a leader in 2024

New England Patriots special-teamer Brenden Schooler is ready to take on a bigger role heading into the 2024 season.

Schooler was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2022. He has since carved himself a role both as a safety and special teams contributor. He has recorded 27 combined tackles in 33 total games and has proven himself to be a valuable piece for the unit.

Now entering his third year, he is a veteran on a team that is undergoing a rebuilding phase. He wants to have more responsibility for the team, as he told the assembled media earlier in the week.

“I love this game and wear my emotions on my sleeve,” said Schooler, who credited Matthew Slater for helping him out. “That’s something I’m going to try to take into [2024] — be that rock and even-keel leader. No matter what’s going on on the field, I’m going to be the same guy every day.”

Veteran leadership is going to be important, especially with a first-year head coach in Jerod Mayo. Schooler’s experience and incredible talent should be something for the team to lean on moving forward.

Patriots’ special teamer Brenden Schooler earns All-Pro honors

Brenden Schooler earns his first All-Pro nod in the NFL

New England Patriots special teamer Brenden Schooler was named an All-Pro Core Teamer by the NFL Players Association on Wednesday.

Schooler was signed by the Patriots as a rookie free agent in May 2022. He has become a valuable part of the special teams unit since then, while also seeing time at the safety position.

The 2023 season saw him play in 10 games. He blocked a 49-yard field goal attempt against the Miami Dolphins in September. He also had a stretch where he recorded at least two tackles in three straight games.

Schooler’s strong play was one of the few positives in a difficult season for New England. With legendary special teamer Matthew Slater considering retirement, Schooler has proven himself more than ready to help fill the void for years to come.

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Patriots special teamer shares words of encouragement for K Chad Ryland

Patriots special teamer Brenden Schooler revealed the conversation he had with kicker Chad Ryland after Sunday’s game.

New England Patriots rookie kicker Chad Ryland had a difficult day on Sunday, missing the potential game-tying field goal as the Patriots fell 10-7 to the New York Giants.

However, special teams veteran Brenden Schooler offered words of encouragement to Ryland.

It has been a difficult season for the Maryland product to begin his career. He has a 66.7 field goal percentage. It is worth noting the distance of his kicks. He has 10 attempts from 40-plus yards, which are not exactly layup attempts.

The game-winning attempt on Sunday sailed wide left, as the Patriots fell to 2-9 on the year. When asked what he said to Ryland after the game, Schooler revealed the conversation he had with the rookie specialist.

“‘Just keep your head up,'” Schooler told NESN.com. “‘I mean, you’re a great young kicker who’s just getting started in this league. So, you’re gonna have misses and you’re gonna have makes. Just remember this feeling and move on from it, and we’ve got your back, I got your back. Everyone on this team knows you’re a good kicker. So, just keep chugging along, and you’ll get better every week.'”

Ryland obviously has room to grow and develop only one season removed from college football. He also has the dubious task of filling the shoes of Nick Folk, who was a model of consistency during his time in New England

If anything, the missed field goal was a microcosm of what has been a difficult season overall for the Patriots.

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Studs and duds in Patriots’ pitiful 20-17 loss to Commanders

Who were the studs and duds in the Patriots’ pitiful 20-17 loss to the Commanders?

Not even a Week 9 matchup with the struggling Washington Commanders could save the New England Patriots from falling to 2-7 on the season.

It’s shocking to think this is the same Patriots team that somehow knocked off the Buffalo Bills in Week 7. The team that beat the Bills must have somehow caught lightning in a bottle because the version that showed up on Sunday looked terrible on all levels.

Offense, defense and special teams—it was all bad for the Patriots.

They had an opportunity to save the game late, but a pass from quarterback Mac Jones bobbled off of JuJu Smith-Schuster’s hands and turned into an interception for the Commanders to close out the game.

It was a completely fitting ending for this version of the Patriots. Here are the studs and duds from the game for New England after their 20-17 loss to the Commanders: