Mike Vrabel taking over as head coach means big changes to how the New England Patriots play defense, changes that put San Francisco 49ers standout linebacker Dre Greenlaw on the Pats radar for 2025 NFL free agency.
That’s the theory put forward by MassLive.com’s Mark Daniels. He went into detail about why “massive changes could be coming to” the linebacker group in New England.
Those changes are based upon Vrabel’s time as head coach of the Tennessee Titans, when he “utilized smaller, more athletic linebackers in his defense. With Terrell Williams coming in as the Patriots new defensive coordinator, we’re about to see a change in scheme and that means a change in the size of linebackers.”
Daniels also noted how “in Vrabel’s last year, the Titans linebackers were Jack Gibbens (6-2, 242 pounds) and Azeez Al-Shaair (6-2, 228 pounds) with outside linebacker Harold Landry (6-2, 252 pounds). Linebackers such as David Long (225 pounds) and Rashaan Evans (232 pounds) also started in previous years for Vrabel.”
The Titans’ blueprint under Vrabel means “the Patriots should look to add veteran linebackers who fit Vrabel’s mold. Dre Greenlaw (230 pounds) is arguably the best linebacker available. This free agent class is loaded with linebackers who are the ideal size for Vrabel’s system: Nick Bolton (237 pounds), Bobby Wagner (241 pounds), Zach Baun (225 pounds), Jamien Sherwood (216 pounds), and Lavonte David (233 pounds), and Kyzir White (234 pounds).”
Greenlaw is the headline name in the group thanks to his range, athleticism and speed to the ball. Qualities that made him a key part of two runs to the Super Bowl for the Niners.
Signing Greenlaw, provided he’s full healthy, would signal a shift away from what’s been a staple of Patriots’ defenses since Bill Belichick took charge back in 2000.
Dre Greenlaw Worth a Risk for Patriots
The risk to signing Greenlaw has nothing to do with Spotrac.com projecting him to earn $6.7 million in 2025. Instead, the issue concerns Greenlaw’s recovery from the torn Achilles he suffered against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 58 to cap the 2023 season.
Greenlaw was only able to start two games last season, before the 49ers kept him off the field to help facilitate a full recovery. Despite the premature end to his comeback, Greenlaw still showed his value with an active and highly-graded display against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 15, per PFF SF 49ers.
Team and player were wise to proceed with caution because the subsequent, extended time on the shelf has positioned Greenlaw for a solid payday this offseason. His recovery speed and instincts make Greenlaw an elite player in coverage, a swift and dangerous downhill force on the blitz, as well as effective in run pursuit.
Coverage is where the Greenlaw effect shows up most often. Like when the fifth-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft snatched two interceptions against the Green Bay Packers in the 2023 NFC Championship Game, including this theft when he bailed then adjusted to find the football in the air.
The Patriots don’t have a linebacker on the roster who can make this play when the depth chart is still built the Belichick way.
Mike Vrabel Can Change Makeup of Patriots Defense
Belichick’s formula relied on bulky thumpers big enough to shed guards in the running game and beat up receivers in short-range areas. It’s why Ja’Whaun Bentley, Jahlani Tavai and Sione Takitaki played inside linebacker for Belichick’s successor Jerod Mayo in 2024.
Mayo spent eight seasons as a middle linebacker for Belichick from 2008-15, and he followed the same blueprint at the position. As Daniels put it, “Bentley (250 pounds), Tavai (255 pounds), and Takitaki (245 pounds) are heavier than prototypical Titans inside linebackers.”
Moving to a more streamlined and rangy template for linebackers isn’t the only change Vrabel can make to this defense. His new defensive coordinator favors a four-man front more than the hybrid looks the Patriots showed under Belichick and Mayo.
Once again, this will mean lighter, quicker linemen. Acquiring a few of those alongside Greenlaw won’t be a problem when the Pats are set to have $123,795,793 worth of space under the salary cap.
A more active line in front of a swifter set of linebackers can return New England’s defense to the ranks of the league’s toughest this year.
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