The New England Patriots’ top-ranked defense suffered some major losses this offseason, with safety Patrick Chung opting out as just the latest personnel blow. In true Bill Belichick fashion, however, it is what it is: the team will find a way to replace the lost talent, which means that it also will need to find a new strong safety to take over Chung’s role in the slot and as a hybrid box defender.
Who will the Patriots look at in order to do that? They certainly have some options on current their roster.
The current elder-statesman in the Patriots’ secondary is typically more of a deep safety who bumps down to cover running backs, slot receivers, and the occasional receiving tight end on passing downs.