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The New England Patriots can have up to 90 players under contract during the offseason. Patriots Football Now will profile all 90 players (though there are currently 91 on the roster) over the upcoming months. Today’s featured player is offensive tackle Ja’Whaun Bentley.
Ja’Whaun Bentley
The New England Patriots selected Ja’Whaun Bentley in the fifth round (No. 143 overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft. Of the nine players drafted by New England that year Bentley is the only player still with the team. Only two others (Isaiah Wynn and Braxton Berrios, both with the Miami Dolphins) played in the NFL last season. Bentley played his college career at Purdue. He was with the Boilermakers for four seasons, amassing 272 tackles, including 29.5 tackles for loss.
Bentley appeared in only three games as a rookie. He was sidelined with a torn biceps. However, he earned a Super Bowl ring in his first NFL season. Since that 2018 season, Bentley has played in 80 of 85 games, including the postseason.
Also Read – Patriots 90-Man Roster Spotlight: Raekwon McMillan
Ja’Whaun Bentley recorded over 100 tackles each of the past three seasons, one of 16 NFL linebackers to do so. He led the Patriots in tackles each of the past three seasons. Bentley has also been named a team captain three times.
Over the past four seasons, Bentley amassed 439 tackles (235 solo) with 10.0 sacks. The only seven NFL players have recorded at least 400 tackles and 10 sacks in the 2020s. Ja’Whaun Bentley is the only one yet to make a Pro Bowl. He also has 28 career QB hits, 21 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, and two interceptions.
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Pro Football Focus gave Bentley a 65.8 grade for his 2023 performance. While still respectable, it was a drop off from the 80.4 he earned in 2022. Although his pass-rush grade improved, he regressed in both tackling (17 missed tackles) and coverage.
Contract Status
Ja’Whaun Bentley is under contract with the New England Patriots for two more seasons with an average cap hit of roughly $6.75 million. However, he has no guaranteed money remaining after 2024.
Inside Linebackers Group
The New England Patriots have eight inside linebackers vying for roster positions. Starters Ja’Whaun Bentley and Jahlani Tavai are both locks. Veterans Raekwon McMillan, Sione Takitaki, Christian Elliss, and Joe Giles-Harris are joined by undrafted free agent rookies Jontrey Hunter and Steele Chambers.
Outlook for Ja’Whaun Bentley
The Patriots have featured a long line of inside linebackers who served as team leaders during Robert Kraft’s tenure. Previous examples include Tedy Bruschi, Jerod Mayo, and Dont’a Hightower. All three played their entire NFL careers with the Patriots. Bentley following suit would not be a surprise. With Mayo (head coach) and Hightower (inside linebackers coach) now on New England’s staff, perhaps there is a spot in the coaches’ room for the current Patriots captain when his playing days are done.
Ja’Whaun Bentley has been a consistent player for the New England Patriots in terms of availability, leadership, and production. There is no reason to believe that will change in 2024. Bentley is one of two inside linebackers, along with Jahlani Tavai, securely on the 53-man roster. He is also one of the few remaining Patriots players who won a Super Bowl with New England. Bentley witnessed his only NFL franchise trend in the wrong direction and now can help turn things back around.
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2 Steelers first-stringers in danger of losing starting jobs ahead of 2025 NFL season
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a different look and a different feel coming into the 2025 season after bringing in Aaron Rodgers as their new starting quarterback. Poor QB play has haunted Mike Tomlin and company throughout the last few years ever since Ben Roethlisberger left his prime, and they are hoping that Rodgers helps fix that issue. While the future Hall-of-Famer is firmly cemented as the team’s starting quarterback, there are some other positions on the roster that are still up for grabs as the preseason rages on and Tomlin finalizes what his lineup for Week 1. The Steelers also brought in DK Metcalf in a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks this offseason, giving Rodgers a true No. 1 option to throw the ball to. They also offloaded George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys in a separate trade, leaving that second wide receiver spot there for the taking. The Steelers also lost Najee Harris this offseason, making Jaylen Warren the presumed featured back. However, that spot could be in jeopardy as well if the returning running back isn’t careful. Earlier in training camp, the Steelers released their first unofficial depth chart of the season. Here are two players who showed up as starters in that release that could get caught for those spots in the coming weeks. RB Jaylen Warren Jaylen Warren has been splitting carries and touches with Najee Harris over the last couple of years, but with Harris gone he seemed destined to be the featured back for Tomlin and company. Not so fast. Insert former Iowa superstar Kaleb Johnson, who the Steelers drafted in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. That was maybe a bit later than many expected Johnson to be selected after his spectacular 2024 season with the Hawkeyes, but that also means there is a chance that the Steelers got a steal. It won’t be easy to take the job from Warren, who does a lot of things well and can positively impact the offense both in the running game and as a receiver. In his three seasons in Pittsburgh, Warren has amassed 2,568 yards and six touchdowns. He has great burst but also solid power in between the tackles and runs very low to the ground, making it difficult to bring him down. However, Warren’s size makes it somewhat difficult to envision him being a true workhorse back, which could open the door for Johnson to become a bellcow on early downs. At 6-foot-1, 224 pounds, the rookie is a much bigger back who is built to withstand the rigors of getting a lot of touches every week. That was on full display at Iowa last season, when Johnson rushed for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns, leading the Big Ten in both categories despite playing in an offense that offered no threat through the air. If it weren’t for the spectacular season of Ashton Jeanty at Boise State, Johnson could have garnered more recognition for awards at the end of the season. Johnson looked a step slow in his preseason debut against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he still has the ability to become the main back on early downs for Tomlin and company before too long. WR Calvin Austin III This comes with a bit of a caveat that the Steelers list just two starting wide receivers on their depth chart along with two tight ends, which leaves room for a third wideout that could be a potential “starter” in Arthur Smith’s offense. Austin is listed as the second starter alongside DK Metcalf, but Smith could opt to go with veteran Robert Woods in certain situations and make Austin more of a third slot wide receiver. The primary reason for this is that Woods has built a reputation as one of the best run blockers in football at his position. Smith loves to run the football, and the Steelers project to have one of the highest run rates in the league this coming season. Woods doesn’t have the same juice as a receiver that he once did, but he could see the field more one early downs and in neutral situations while Smith looks to get the most he can out of his run game. Austin is also dealing with an injury during the preseason that has held him out of practice, which could hurt him in getting to 100% by the time the regular season starts. Still, Austin will be a big part of the offense when he does get healthy. He is one of the most explosive players on the team and gives the Steelers a big-play threat that can take the top off the defense at any time. Now that Pittsburgh should have its best quarterback play during Austin’s career, he could have a lot more big plays coming his way in the near future.
Kings Predicted to Send Malik Monk to Lakers for $66 Million Duo in Offseason Trade
As the 2025-26 NBA season nears, one team that continues to be the subject of trade rumors is the Sacramento Kings. Of course, the Kings elected to keep their core of Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVien together this offseason despite many around the league expecting them to begin a rebuild. Sacramento also made some notable additions to their roster this summer as they selected Nique Clifford and Maxime Raynaud in the 2025 draft and added Dennis Schroder in free agency. While the Kings have upgraded their roster this offseason, some of their players continue to be in trade rumors, primarily for Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga who Sacramento is reportedly targeting. For the Kings, multiple players have come up in trad rumors this summer but none more than Malik Monk who is coming off the best season of his NBA career. Despite this, the Kings have elected to keep Monk thus far but that could change as they continue to look for ways to upgrade their roster even more this offseason to chase a playoff spot next season. Kings predicted to trade Malik Monk to Lakers With this in mind, SB Nations’ Jacob Rude recently released a mock trade that would send Malik Monk to the Los Angeles Lakers for two players. In the trade, the Kings would land Gabe Vincent, Maxi Kleber and a lottery protected 2031 first-round pick from the Lakers in return for Monk. This trade does not make a ton of sense for the Kings as they would swap one of the best scorers on their roster for two veterans who struggled last season and a lottery protected first-round pick. Both Vincent and Kleber would be solid additions to the Kings’ roster as they would fill two glaring holes in their rotation, but Sacramento would likely want more in return for Monk, especially with him coming off the best season of his career. Because of this, it is highly unlikely that the Kings would agree to this trade as they could possibly receive a larger return for their veteran guard from another team this offseason.
LeBron James Stunned by Son’s Change in Appearance
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is in peak off-season mode, enjoying his time off while staying ready for his upcoming 23rd season in the NBA, eighth with Los Angeles. James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists for the Lakers last season. On a separate note, his youngest son, Bryce James, is preparing for his first collegiate season with the Arizona Wildcats, where he committed early in 2025. Before this new chapter, he spent most of his high school basketball career playing for Sierra Canyon, where he won a State Division 1 title in his senior year. Meanwhile, upon Bryce's first trip back home since leaving for college, James was taken aback by his appearance. In the Lakers star's latest Instagram story, he welcomes home his youngest son after his first stint away at Arizona. Within the video, James is overcome with excitement as he points out Bryce's latest physical change to his 159 million followers: his beard. "Y'all see his beard? Oh my goodness!" said James. Born in 2007, Bryce is just 18 years old and stands 6'6 tall ahead of his first season with the Wildcats. Primarily playing the shooting guard position, he's poised for a bright future under legendary coach Tommy Lloyd, who is entering his fifth season with the team. Lloyd's 61 wins in his first two seasons with Arizona are an NCAA Division 1 record. The Wildcats will open their season on November 3 against the defending champion Florida Gators at a neutral site in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger Makes Direct Statement About Mason Rudolph's Spot On QB Depth Chart
Broncos QB Bo Nix pumps the brakes on his own head coach's hype train
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton has said he believes Bo Nix will become a top-five quarterback soon. The second-year passer lacks the same bravado as his coach. When asked if he would double-down on the hype in a Tuesday interview with FanDuel's Kay Adams, Nix refused to do so. But he did agree with Payton that the Super Bowl should be the Broncos' goal in 2025. "Listen, I'm glad I've got a coach that believes in us as players to put that stuff out there," the QB said. "The good thing about our team is we're gonna have guys come up and show up to work, they're not going to let distractions get to them. The Super Bowl kind of goes without having to say it, you know, we're all working for that goal." The Broncos starters didn't look like Super Bowl contenders in their first preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers. During the 30-9 win, Nix and the first-team offense played just three drives. The QB went 6-of-11 for 31 yards. Despite the shaky preseason opener, Payton hasn't lost confidence in the 25-year-old. "The first thing that people look at, even free agents, is, [does a team] have a quarterback?" Payton told Adams. "I think the people that have seen Bo play in person... have seen his skill set, his feet, his ability to get us in the right place." Nix finished third in 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year voting behind Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers and Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels after tossing 29 touchdown passes in 17 starts. However, Denver needs him to get off to a faster start in 2025. In his first four games last season, the Oregon/Auburn product tossed one TD pass and four interceptions. The Broncos also need him to deliver against playoff teams. Denver went 2-5 against teams that made the postseason in 2024. If Nix does both of those things, more people should hop on Payton's hype train.
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