Patriots Defense: Still Among NFL's Top 10?

With the addition of rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez, could the New England Patriots be among the NFL's best defensive units?

Despite the New England Patriots lackluster offensive play for a majority of last season, their defense finished among the league's best in several statistical categories. 

A big reason behind their 8-9 campaign, the Patriots defensive unit finished the season ranked third in yards per play (5.0) and second in takeaways (30), while scoring the most defensive touchdowns in the NFL (a team-record seven).

But after losing longtime safety and captain Devin McCourty to retirement, New England has been busy improving its defense even further this offseason. 

By re-signing standout cornerback Jonathan Jones and defensive back Jalen Mills, while also going defense-heavy in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft, New England looks to build upon the end of last season. In CBS Sports' recent "Ranking 2023 NFL defenses," New England ranked among the most likely teams to finish inside the top-10.

"New England finished last season ranked No. 1 in Football Outsiders' weighted defensive DVOA, meaning that by the end of the season, the Pats were playing like the best defense in the league," CBS Sports writes. "Adding Christian Gonzalez and Keion White, among others, to last season's group only figures to raise the ceiling of the group even further."

Gonzalez, a first-round pick and University of Oregon product, was deemed a "perfect fit" by ESPN for his ability to "flip the hips and use his great backfield vision to get a jump on the ball here."

White, an edge out of Georgia Tech and second-round pick this year, could also see substantial playing time due to his versatility on the defensive front. 

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