Patriots' Position Group Lands Astonishing Ranking

The New England Patriots went on quite the spending spree in free agency, and much of that money was spent on the defensive side of the ball.

One of the biggest contracts the Patriots handed out went to cornerback Carlton Davis, who will be joining Second-Team All-Pro Christian Gonzalez at the position.

New England's secondary still has some holes, particularly when it comes to depth at cornerback and questions at safety. However, it has the potential to be a strong unit.

John Kosko of Pro Football Focus apparently thinks very highly of the Pats' defensive backfield, ranking it fifth in the NFL.

"Despite the Patriots’ struggles in the post-Bill Belichick and Tom Brady era, their defense remains a strength," Kosko wrote. "Budding star Christian Gonzalez leads the group after missing most of his rookie season in 2023. His 78.2 coverage grade last season was outstanding for a de facto rookie year, and the Patriots added Carlton Davis in the offseason to bolster the cornerback room. Jabrill Peppers has quietly put together a quality career, earning overall grades above 82.3 in each of the past two seasons. Dell Pettus also looks like an undrafted gem, excelling in PFF’s advanced coverage metrics and posting a 73.9 overall grade as a rookie."

That may be a bit too ambitious of a ranking for the Patriots, who definitely experienced some problems in coverage last year. That being said, they only got six games out of Peppers in 2024, and Kyle Dugger was dealing with an injury throughout the campaign.

The Gonzalez-Davis cornerback duo should definitely uplift the secondary as a whole, and perhaps full, healthy seasons out of both Peppers and Dugger will allow the unit to take a significant step.

A sleeper could also be cornerback Marcus Jones, who plays in the nickel and could represent a potential breakout candidate for New England in 2025.