The New England Patriots have certainly dedicated a whole lot of time to repairing their defense this offseason, spending big bucks to address the unit in free agency and also devoting a solid chunk of their draft picks to adding more defenders.
As a result of the Patriots’ plethora of defensive acquisitions, some players are now on the roster bubble, and Michael DeVito of Musket Fire feels that edge rusher Anfernee Jennings could be in danger.
“Vrabel has added free agents Harold Landry III, K’Lavon Chaisson, and drafted Bradyn Swinson to play the position, along with the recently and deftly re-signed Christian Elliss,” DeVito wrote. “Additionally, Jennings doesn’t fit Vrabel’s defensive profile of smaller, more mobile linebackers and edges. Expect Jennings to be playing elsewhere in 2025.”
Jennings starred at Alabama, having racked up 83 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and eight sacks during his final season with the Crimson Tide in 2019.
However, he certainly has not lived up to expectations on the professional level, as the 27-year-old has managed just 5.5 sacks in total since being selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
To be fair, an injury kept Jennings out for the entire 2021 campaign, but he definitely has not shown any signs of being a starting-caliber edge rusher on a contender since then. Last year, Jennings enjoyed his most productive NFL season, but even then, he logged just 78 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
Given the influx of pass rushers New England has added over the last couple of months, it stands to reason that the Pats could ultimately part ways with Jennings before the start of 2025.
Of course, the question is whether or not Jennings would have any sort of trade value. He has two years remaining on his contract with a potential out after next season.