New England struggled in its first game without Bentley at linebacker.
The first game without Ja’Whaun Bentley in the lineup was a struggle for the New England Patriots’ defense. The unit surrendered 24 points in a three-touchdown loss to the New York Jets and saw its linebackers, primarily Jahlani Tavai and Raekwon McMillan, fail to properly replace the long-time team captain.
Missed tackles, bad angles, insufficient coverage, you name it — the Patriots made “uncharacteristic” mistakes with Bentley out due to a torn pectoral muscle. While their short turnaround between Weeks 2 and 3 can partially be blamed, they need to address those issues and find a way to fill the sizable shoes worn by Bentley.
Off the field, safety Kyle Dugger will take on a key role; the fifth-year man has been named captain as a replacement for his teammate. A player known for his versatility, Dugger also will be crucial in helping fill the void created by Bentley’s absence on the field.
As head coach Jerod Mayo explained Wednesday, he will not be alone: the Patriots will bank on their personnel’s flexibility moving forward.
“We’re very flexible. He’s done it before,” Mayo said about Dugger before naming others as well. “[Jabrill] Peppers has done it before. A guy not out there right now is Marte [Mapu], which it’ll be exciting to get him back out there. He’s another candidate for that role you’re kind of talking about.”
Like Dugger, both Peppers and the currently-recovering Marte Mapu also are capable of wearing several hats for the Patriots defense. All three blur the lines between linebacker and safety, and therefore are well-suited to be the next men up with Bentley reportedly out for the remainder of the season.
Dugger and Peppers are known commodities, having played in New England since 2020 and 2022, respectively. Mapu, meanwhile, is more of an unknown: the 2023 third-round draft pick played mostly on special teams as a rookie before suffering an undisclosed injury early during his sophomore training camp.
When on the field on defense, however, he has shown that he too can play a multiple role. In his 204 defensive snaps last season, he regularly moved between free safety, off-ball linebacker and the slot. During this year’s offseason, meanwhile, New England appeared to give him more reps as a coverage linebacker.
When Mapu will be cleared to return from injured reserve remains to be seen. He will be eligible to come off next week alongside fellow linebacker Sione Takitaki, who currently is on the physically unable to perform list.
For now, however, neither of those two is available. As a result, Tavai and McMillan will remain the top two at the position for the time being, with Dugger in particular also factoring into the mix.
For their head coach that is no reason to worry, despite last week’s disappointment.
“Jahlani, Raekwon and those guys, they do a good job controlling the front,” Mayo said.
“I think having a guy like Dugger in the back end who has that communication with the linebackers, understands linebacker play, but also can disseminate the information to the sides, to the corners, to the stars, I think it’s more important for him to be there. He does rock down. Anytime a safety rocks down to the box, he’s really a linebacker at that point.”
On Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, that ability will be tested — as will the rest of New England’s post-Bentley linebacker corps.