The stock surrounding the New England Patriots for the 2024 season is looking a bit low, but that doesn't mean this roster is completely void of talent.
Especially on the defensive side of the ball, the Patriots have a lot to look forward to for the season ahead. New England's unit ranked in the middle of the pack in 2023 and will benefit from getting several playmakers back from injury like Matthew Judon, Christian Gonzalez, and Marcus Jones.
However, when it comes to the strongest part of this Patriots' defense, the best comes within the secondary, specifically their safety group. Headlined by Jabrill Peppers and offseason re-signee Kyle Dugger, these two have developed into major building blocks of New England and should be in for another big year in 2024.
When stacking up this roster's greatest strengths, ESPN's Mike Clay detailed why the safeties come in at the top as both of them come off stellar seasons in Foxboro:
"Safety. Jabrill Peppers was called on to play an expanded role last season and the move paid off. The former first-round pick handled a career-high 913 snaps and was PFF's fifth-highest-graded safety. He's back in 2024, as is Kyle Dugger, who posted career-high marks in snaps, tackles, and sacks last season. Dugger is ninth in the league in INTs (nine) over the past three seasons. The team will expect more from 2023 third-rounder Marte Mapu this season."
- Mike Clay, ESPN
For New England to return to form as a top-ten defense in the league, a lot of responsibility leans onto the back of this Patriots secondary to come in and produce similar numbers to their 2023 marks. The progression of Marte Mapu also expects to be a major part of the equation as well, but the key to success centers on Dugger and Peppers.
Dugger is coming off of signing a four-year, $58 million deal to keep him in New England long-term. It gives the Patriots significant security at the safety position moving forward and still gives them the flexibility to make other additions around the roster moving forward.
As for Peppers, he enters a critical contract year before hitting free agency in the summer of 2025. When projecting a new deal for the other New England safety, we could expect similar numbers to what Dugger managed to secure this offseason, but it'll have to come with similar production that we saw in 2023.
Of course, it remains to be seen how exactly this Patriots defense will perform under the direction of first-year head coach Jerod Mayo, but the building blocks for a successful group are in place.
