New England Patriots Linebacker Room Ranks Very Highly

While 2023 was a disaster of a season, the New England Patriots had one of the better defenses in football.

A large part of that was due to what is perhaps the most underrated group on the team: the inside linebacker unit.

Cred: The Boston Globe photos

Pro Football Focus took notice of quality production from the room, however. The site ranked New England No. 4 in the league in its overall linebacker room rankings, only falling behind the Jets, 49ers, and Bears.

From PFF: Jahlani Tavai’s third season with the Patriots was the best of his career. He posted an 82.7 PFF coverage grade and allowed just one touchdown in coverage. Ja’Whaun Bentley has earned a PFF grade above 65.0 in all but one of his six NFL seasons. New England's signing of Sione Takitaki is also a nice fit, with the former third-round draft pick out of BYU coming off a career-high 70.7 PFF grade with the Cleveland Browns.

Tavai and Bentley, while they are not household names throughout the NFL community, have quietly been among the best in the league at their position for multiple seasons now.

The signing of Sione Takitaki, a player who will fly around the field, should only serve to make the group stronger.

Perhaps the fact that the team's new head coach in Jerod Mayo is a former Patriots linebacker himself could serve to help the room as well.

While there are a ton of question marks headed into the season, one thing that is not a question is the fact that steady, quality play can be expected from this group.