Patriots Veteran is on Dangerous Ground

The New England Patriots will have to make tough decisions before the 2025 NFL season, and while wide receiver is their most crowded position, the defensive side of the ball will also be very interesting to monitor.

The Patriots have brought in a plethora of new defensive players this offseason, spending a sizeable chunk of money on them in free agency.

New England added a pair of edge rushers in Harold Landry and K'Lavon Chaisson while also selecting Bradyn Swinson in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. That could complicate things for Anfernee Jennings, who has been manning the edge for the Pats since 2020.

The problem is that Jennings has been a pretty significant disappointment for the Patriots, at least in terms of rushing the passer. He has amassed just 5.5 sacks in four seasons (he missed all of 2021 due to injury), and that simply isn't going to cut it for a team that finished last in the league with 28 sacks in 2024.

As a result, Jennings' roster seems to be in jeopardy, and Bernd Buchmasser of Pats Pulpit seems to agree with that assessment.

"Jennings started a combined 30 games over the last two seasons, is a plus run defender and would come with a dead cap figure of $2.35 million. Nonetheless, his spot on the team is not guaranteed heading into what would be his sixth season in Foxborough," Buchmasser wrote. "The Patriots, after all, appear to be moving toward more speed and playmaking ability versus the pass with their new defense — attributes Jennings only offers to a certain degree in what has become somewhat of a crowded outside linebacker room."

New Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel clearly has a certain type of linebacker that he prefers, and Jennings doesn't really fit that mold. Vrabel was a strong pass rusher himself, so you can understand why he would want quicker, more versatile players at the position.

It would not be surprising if Jennings finds himself on the chopping block before the regular season begins.