Revamping their defensive line appears inevitable for the New England Patriots after they hired head coach Mike Vrabel and defensive coordinator Terrell Williams, whose schemes offer an “optimal” fit for Dallas Cowboys “long defensive end” Chauncey Golston, a potential “steal for his next team” in 2025 NFL free agency.
The fit is explained by The 33rd Team’s Marcus Mosher. He views Golston as an ideal target for “Teams searching for long-armed defensive ends who can kick inside on pass-rushing downs should be interested in Golston. His best football is still ahead of him, and he is a four-down player after playing over 600 career snaps on special teams. He’s never going to lead the NFL in sacks, but he could be a really strong No. 2 EDGE rusher on the right team.”
Those qualities make Golston ideally suited to a versatile and athletic edge defenders who can be realigned all over the front. It’s a style of defense the Patriots are expected to move toward.
Chauncey Golston’s a Free Agent With Upside
He’s never logged more than 5.5 sacks in a single season, nor been a regular starter too often, but Golston is a free agent with plenty of upside. It comes from him being 26 and having his best football ahead of him.
Golston’s best will include more of what Mosher calls being a “long defensive end that is known of his power and ability to move all around the defensive line. While he is improving as a run defender, he made significant leaps as a pass rusher in 2024. He finished the year with 5.5 sacks and was someone who improved nearly every week. He’s just now learning how to play within his frame (6-5, 270).”
The physical profile is one of a natural lineman for a four-man front. So is his versatility. Golston can win off the edge, but he does his best work as a pass-rusher from the interior.
His long arms and active motor help Golston split double teams. Like on this play against the Cleveland Browns from Week 1, a play showcasing a talent for generating inside pressure John Owning of Pro Football Focus dubbed “tough to find.”
The Patriots already have an edge defender capable of the same movement and game-wrecking output from multiple gaps, but Vrabel and Williams need more of the same.
Patriots New Defense Needs Different Edge Players
Change is inevitable up front based on the kind of defenses Vrabel ran as head coach of the Tennessee Titans, with Williams coaching the line. Their preference for front fours is good news for Patriots holdover Keion White.
As Taylor Kyles of Patriots on CLNS Media pointed out, this “likely means more of Keion White at DE on early downs.”
White can also slide inside, like Golston. Together, they’d give the Patriots greater potential for disrupting the pocket in obvious passing situations.
Getting to quarterbacks was a major problem this season, when the Pats logged a mere 28 sacks. That number should improve thanks to Williams’ expertise coaching linemen to be more disruptive. The changes will be a major success if the Pats equip Williams with a defensive tackle he knows well from his days with the Detroit Lions.
Adding a familiar face alongside Golston, who is projected by Spotrac.com to earn $7.3 million per year on his next deal, would be a bargain way for the cap-rich Patriots to construct a new defense from the front.
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