Tag: Daniel Ekuale

Patriots DT calls out teammates following loss to Jaguars

Daniel Ekuale believes some Patriots defenders are going off script

New England Patriots defensive lineman Daniel Ekuale called out his fellow defenders for selfish play, following the Patriots’ 32-16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday

Ekuale’s comments came after fellow defensive tackle Davon Godchaux said something similar a few weeks ago. Godchaux called out the defense, saying some players were being selfish and that “everybody has to sacrifice to do what’s best for the team.”

Now, Ekuale is saying the same thing after the Patriots dropped their sixth straight loss this season.

“Jerod just said (post-game) everybody gotta check their ego when they come in. And I agree with him,” Ekuale said, as transcribed by the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan. “I feel like a lot of guys think too highly of themselves, and have to check their ego and come in and just play as a team.

“I feel like if we play as a team nobody can stop us. But if we go out there and do our own thing, and play outside of the scheme, that’s when we get beat.”

The Patriots’ defensive unit is undoubtedly struggling, as they have surrendered 30-plus points in back-to-back games.

These struggles come after New England brought back largely the same unit from a year ago. However, key players being out have hurt the Patriots this season. The defense will have to do some self-reflection as they look to get back on track.

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Patriots DL coach wants this veteran to step up in Christian Barmore’s absence

The Patriots are hoping for a big year from this defensive veteran

The New England Patriots will be down a key contributor with Christian Barmore out.

The starting defensive tackle is out indefinitely after being diagnosed with blood clots, and the team is preparing for the possibility that he could miss the entire 2024 season.

Other defenders will be forced to step up. Defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery called out defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale to be one of those guys.

Ekuale has been with the organization since 2021. He had two sacks in back-to-back seasons as a rotational piece for the Patriots, before going down with a torn biceps in 2023.

Now, he could be in line to see his play time increase significantly. Pro Football Network’s Dakota Randall spoke to Montgomery about Ekuale stepping up on defense in the absence of Barmore.

“He’s gonna have to, right? He’s who we have. I think he’s had a decent camp — but [expletive] or get off the pot, right? It’s his time to shine, so take advantage of that opportunity,” said Montgomery.

https://twitter.com/DakRandall/status/1831716474622497101

There will certainly be a major hole to fill on the Patriots’ defensive line. With that being said, Ekuale has the experience and familiarity with the system in order to make that leap.

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Patriots place DT on injured reserve, release DB from practice squad

The Patriots announced two roster moves on Tuesday.

Sunday’s victory over the New York Jets wasn’t all good news for the New England Patriots.

They announced they were putting veteran defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale on injured reserve on Tuesday. Cornerback William Hooper was also released from the practice squad.

Ekuale is feared to have suffered a torn biceps following an injury from the Patriots’ Week 3 meeting with the Jets. It’s a tough loss for the Patriots considering how reliable Ekuale was for the team on the defensive front. He was a constant disruptive presence and a legitimate threat as a pass-rusher.

Meanwhile, Hooper was signed by the Patriots after rookie cornerback Isaiah Bolden went down with an injury. That time was obviously short-lived with his release on Tuesday.

Ekuale’s exit opens up a free spot on the main roster. So another move should be expected, whether it’s a new free agent signing or practice squad elevation, for New England at some point.

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Report: Patriots’ pass-rusher feared to have a torn biceps

The Patriots have been dealt another injury blow.

The injury bug has been relentless for the New England Patriots.

On Tuesday, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported that defensive lineman Daniel Ekuale is believed to have suffered a torn biceps. He will undergo more testing to be sure, but the initial diagnosis isn’t good for the veteran pass-rusher.

Losing Ekuale would be tough for New England considering he has been a reliable playmaker for the team in pass-rushing packages. He was the team’s highest-graded player in the Week 3 game against the New York Jets, per Pro Football Focus.

The Patriots have already been ravaged by injuries in the defensive backfield. Now, they’re being hit in the front with Ekuale likely going on the shelf.

With defensive lineman Davon Godchaux also dealing with an ankle injury, the Patriots could have a real problem on the defensive front.

This might be a good time for coach Bill Belichick to put in a call to Carl Davis, who is currently on the Seattle Seahawks’ practice squad, ahead of Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.

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Patriots’ top 10 defensive players in Week 3, per PFF grades

Here are PFF’s highest-graded defensive players for the Patriots in Week 3.

Another defensive masterclass for the New England Patriots earned the team their first 2023 regular season win on Sunday. They pummeled the New York Jets offense (as is usually the case) in a 15-10 road victory.

Three games into the season and it’s already clear that the Patriots have one of the best defenses in the league. Keep in mind, this has been a team playing with only one of their starting cornerbacks. Jonathan Jones, Jack Jones and Marcus Jones have all been out with injuries.

That has left the bulk of the work to rookie first-round draft pick Christian Gonzalez, Myles Bryant and Shaun Wade. Gonzalez’s sudden emergence into one of the league’s top corners has obviously been a huge help, along with the pressure the Patriots have been able to get up front.

It was like a full-on WWE session in the Jets’ offensive backfield with quarterback Zach Wilson getting body-slammed and rag-dolled by Patriots defenders through four quarters.

Today, we’re ranking the top-10 Patriots defenders in Week 3 by their Pro Football Focus grades. It’s important to note that we haven’t taken snap count into consideration for this particular list.

So while a player like linebacker Matthew Judon was the obvious MVP of this game, he wasn’t given a top-10 PFF grade.

Madden 24 ratings for every Patriots defensive tackle and edge rusher

The “Madden NFL 24” ratings are in for the Patriots’ defensive tackles and edge rushers

EA Sports has been revealing player ratings for the upcoming “Madden NFL 24” video game, and two of the initial positions they’ve highlighted are defensive tackle and edge rusher.

No one from the New England Patriots defense joined the 99 club at those positions this year, but defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. did get an 81 overall rating on the game.

Despite all of the defensive success, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Patriots players are still being underrated. Barmore might be one of the best defensive tackles in the league, but he obviously hasn’t stayed on the field long enough to prove it.

That could all change in the 2023 season and potentially lead to a ratings increase in a future patch for the game. Keep your fingers crossed, Patriots fans.

Here are the ratings for every defensive tackle and edge rusher for the Patriots in “Madden NFL 24”.

Report: Patriots re-sign DT Daniel Ekuale to new deal

The Patriots are reportedly bringing back Daniel Ekuale on a new deal.

The New England Patriots signed defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale to a new contract on Friday, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Ekuale was a dependable player for New England last season. He played in 15 games and tallied two sacks in addition to 14 combined tackles last season.

This has been a busy couple days for New England, as they have signed several organizational free agents. This includes positional teammate Carl Davis, who inked a one-year contract with the team on Monday. The brunt of the team’s moves have come on the offensive side of the ball, but they clearly haven’t forgotten about their defense.

Ekuale will add yet another familiar face back to the line. It will be intriguing to see if the team adds any more pieces defensively, as they try to reinforce the unit.

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Patriots players pay respects after death of college football legend Mike Leach

Patriots players are paying their respects to the late, great Mike Leach.

Mississippi State coach Mike Leach was a one-of-a-kind individual, and the world already seems a bit dimmer with the news of his death at age 61.

New England Patriots players are joining in the countless posts of people paying their respects to the late, great coach. On Sunday night, following the team’s win over the Arizona Cardinals, Patriots quarterback Mac Jones sent prayers to the family while also noting Leach had offered him a scholarship at Washington State.

There were many instances players can fondly look back on with Leach extending a helping hand or an opportunity in some shape or fashion. The same is the case for Patriots defensive lineman Daniel Ekuale, who played under Leach during his time at Washington State.

Patriots defensive tackle Carl Davis also paid his respects by sharing one of the many classic interviews given by the longtime college football coach.

There will never be another Leach in college football or any level of football—for that matter. We can expect more players to come forward with condolences and great memories of a coach who changed as many lives off the field as he did on it.

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Report: NFL suspends Patriots DT Daniel Ekuale for 2 games

Daniel Ekuale had a promising 2021 season.

The NFL has suspended New England Patriots defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale for two games, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.

Ekuale had a very impressive season as a rotational player on the defense despite spending the entire year on the practice squad. He benefited from the new game-day elevation rules and spent a number of games on the roster. He finished with five tackles and two sacks in seven games.

His two-game suspension won’t jeopardize his roster spot, however. He won’t count toward the roster limit during his suspension which is good considering he will compete with the defensive tackle group that includes Christian Barmore, Davon Godchaux, Lawrence Guy, Carl Davis and rookies Sam Roberts and LaBrayan Ray.

The reason for Ekuale’s suspension has not yet been reported.

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Jags will look to undrafted rookie Doug Costin, Daniel Ekuale for ‘flexibility’ at DT

After Timmy Jernigan wasn’t able to get going, the Jags are hoping for a spark from Doug Costin and Daniel Ekuale at DT Week 4.

The Jacksonville Jaguars started the week off by making adjustments to the interior of their defensive line, parting ways with veteran Timmy Jernigan. With him no longer on the team, coach Doug Marrone expects undrafted rookie Doug Costin to get more reps while Daniel Ekuale was also promoted off the practice squad to help out, too. In return, the Jags are hoping for more versatility in the interior as they’ve struggled to be effective at the defensive tackle position.

The Jags signed Jernigan on Aug. 17 in hopes that he could provide a spark for the team in the interior. Unfortunately, he could never get going for them, garnering just one tackle in three games and 54 snaps. That led to him ultimately ending his Jags tenure with a Pro Football Focus grade of 44.1.

Costin was a player who impressed in training camp and he’s seemingly put together some good regular season practices together. After coming from the University of Miami (Ohio) as an undrafted rookie this April, Costin was one of four undrafted free-agents to make the Jags’ final roster and Sunday will mark his first snaps.

Ekuale, on the other hand, is a player who does have some regular season experience after making the Cleveland Browns’ final 53-man roster last season. He played in seven games and registered four tackles, one of which were for a loss.