Patriots' Predicted Bust Would be Beyond Devastating

The New England Patriots were in desperate need for pass-rushing assistance heading into the offseason, so they made sure to address the issue.

The Patriots opened things up by signing Harold Landry and then added Milton Williams, K'Lavon Chaisson and Bradyn Swinson, the last of whom came via the NFL Draft.

New England totaled just 28 sacks in 2024, so the Pats kind of, sort of need all of those acquisitions to hit this coming season.

Landry is definitely the most prolific pass rusher of the bunch, having racked up 31.5 sacks over his last three healthy campaigns (he missed all of 2022 due to a torn ACL). Last year, he finished with 71 tackles, nine sacks and four passes defended with the Tennessee Titans.

So, yeah: the Patriots are definitely counting on Landry heading into 2025, but Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox actually thinks the former Pro Bowler could be a complete bust.

"The bust potential of pass-rusher Harold Landry III lies in the financials," Knox wrote. "The New England Patriots gave the 29-year-old a three-year, $43.5 million contract in free agency. That's a substantial sum for an edge-defender who is probably second-tier at best. Landry has only reached double-digit sacks twice in his career. While he recorded nine quarterback takedowns last season, he also logged a modest 18 quarterback pressures."

Landry was an incredibly consistent pass rusher with the Titans, managing nine sacks or better four times in seven years with the franchise. He also logged double-digit sacks twice.

The Patriots still have time to make some more additions to their group of edge rushers, but the idea that Landry is going to be some sort of colossal bust just does not add up based on his production over the years.

Hopefully, Landry proves all of the doubters wrong in 2025.