NFL defensive coordinators and general managers are catching up with the rest of the league. The NFL is leaning toward a pass-happy contest, and that means defenses have had to find a way to defend against the aerial attack in a multitude of ways. The best way teams have found in combating that is to find defensive backfield talent, and the AFC East reflects that.
The secondary may be the most talented position among any group as a whole within the division. On a few different AFC East teams, the secondary might be the strongest-overall unit… and by a lot.
So who has the best of those squads? Here’s Bills Wire’s rankings of the AFC East’s secondaries:
1. New England Patriots
The Patriots have a stellar group of players in their secondary, as hard as it is to admit. Stephon Gilmore has been at the top of the cornerback charts for the past few seasons. He’s been named an All-Pro in each of the past two seasons and was 2019’s Defensive Player of the Year. He tied for the league lead with six interceptions and led the league with 20 passes defensed. Gilmore was graded as the No. 1 cornerback by Pro Football Focus in 2019.
Opposite Gilmore is Jason McCourty and JC Jackson. Jonathan Jones gives this cornerback spot great depth, but the Pats didn’t even stand pat there recently. The Lions traded cornerback Michael Jackson to New England last weekend, adding further depth pieces at cornerback.
Devin McCourty has been among the top safeties in the league in recent memory. The veteran recorded five interceptions last year. But it’s all perfect for the Pats.
The only knock on the unit is how will they fill in the gap left by Patrick Chung, an 11-year veteran who opted out of this upcoming season due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But there’s a few potential options.
The Pats drafted Kyle Duggar in the second-round of the 2020 draft. Duggar is a versatile player who can be a presence at the line of scrimmage. Adrian Phillips, a 2018 All-Pro, will be looked upon to fill the void as well. He missed time last year due to a forearm injury. If he’s completely healthy, Phillips should garner starting snaps for this unit. But even without Chung, this secondary won’t be coming into New England a stroll in the park in 2020… even without Tom Brady.