With 2 of the 3 starting linebackers battling severe injuries, depth is especially important.
The Patriots top 3 linebackers are Jerod Mayo, Dont'a Hightower, and Jamie Collins. On paper, that trio is arguably the best trio of linebackers in the NFL. In the grand scheme of things, that's not nearly as important because as we saw the last two years that 1 major injury can really wreck the initial plan. At a position that is physically demanding, injuries are going to happen. You can't predict injuries, but you certainly can prepare your team to be able to weather through that.