Sunday Patriots Notes: Anfernee Jennings standing out in increased role

Notes and thoughts on the Anfernee Jennings, the offensive line, and more.

The New England Patriots are back on the road in Week 9 where they’ll look to start their first two-game winning streak since 2022.

For anything that was not covered on Pats Pulpit throughout the week, let’s get into it in this week’s Sunday Patriots Notes.

1. Jennings standing out: Whenever Patriots outside linebacker coach Drew Wilkins holds court in the film room, one player is often made a positive example of: Anfernee Jennings.

The 2020 third-round pick has remained one of New England’s most consistent run defenders along the edge this season — where he leads the league with 18 run stops. That includes a team-high three stops in a victory over the New York Jets, where Jennings’ film was full of teach tape.

“We’ll talk about it Monday when we’re watching tape with these guys: ‘This is a clinic rep. This is a teach-tape rep.’ That we’ll be sitting there next spring, when we want to talk about that technique, this play was the one that exemplifies that,” Wilkins said.

“Particularly when it’s run at him and he’s at the point of attack, whether it’s a tight end, a tackle, a puller, a flashing tight end. When he is at the point of contact, you’re going to get some teach-tape reps from him because he’s physical, throws his body in there. Really, for the rest of the room to see that — that this guy plays with that kind of abandon and that kind of toughness — that goes a long way because if he can do it, everybody else can.”

The 6-foot-2, 255 pound Jennings is never shy of contact. As seen against New York, Jennings embraces taking on pulling lineman and setting physical edges. And if a team mistakenly trusts their tight end to try and solo up Jennings, he wants to make offensive coordinators pay.

“It’s one of those things where he takes that as a challenge,” Wilkins said. “If an offense coordinator wants to scheme him one-on-one — whether it’s run game or pass rush against the tight end — he sees that as a sign of, ‘Okay, it’s time to go. It’s time to prove this offensive coordinator and this guy who thought he could draw that X on that O and take care of it, he’s not going to be able to take care of it with him.’”

That type of attitude is exactly what Wilkins and the Patriots coaching staff is looking for.

“He’s got an edge to him,” Wilkins said. “We tell those guys, ‘Play through the echo of the whistle.’ We want guys finishing every play in a dominant position. It’s easy to get the rest of the crew to do that when our leader and really one of the guys that’s out there the most is doing that play in and play out and not letting up. Every play you see him locked out, finishing through the echo of the whistle in a way that sets the tone for the rest of the team.”

The work in the ground game is nothing new for Jennings, who parlayed similar success last season into a three-year extension with the team in free agency. If last year’s success and contract did not put Jennings on opposing coaches radar, his play now certainly is — as seen by the Jets mostly running to the side Jennings was not aligned over.

“You talk to these offensive coaches around the league after we play,” said Wilkins, “the one guy you hear about over and over from these guys is, ‘This guy plays the right way, he’s a problem to go against,’ is Anfernee Jennings, because of how physical he is, how good his hand placement and feet are and his eyes in the run game.

“This is a guy you don’t want to run to his side. You see teams start doing that and trying to run away from him because of the plays he can make when they run to him. Pullers come at him and he’s disrupting the whole play, causing a 10-car pileup over there. This is a guy that plays football the right way. We’re fired up that he’s out there.”

Beyond being a typical early-down run defender, Jennings has been out there even more for New England’s defense. Similar to last season, injuries — and now the trade of pass rusher Joshua Uche — have forced Jennings into a larger role.

Against New York, Jennings played a season-high 60 (of 62) defensive snaps as he looks to take on a more consistent three-down role up front.

“Tough, smart, dependable. A player that shows up every week for us,” defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington said of Jennings. “Taking a new role last week as far as helping us out on third down. I’m seeing a player who’s growing in a leadership role for us. He’s a guy that leads by example, not really by being a vocal leader, but by his play style and his physical toughness. I’m encouraging that and I’m pushing that forward for him to be one of our leaders of the defense.”

2. Tackle help: With the NFL trade deadline looming, New England may be on the search for help at offensive tackle, wide receiver, and defensive tackle. One trade they did not pull the trigger on was left tackle Cam Robinson moving from the Jaguars to the Vikings this past week for a 2026 draft pick swap. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Patriots showed interest in Robinson before the deal and have also “been in touch” with free agent tackle D.J. Humphries.

Humphries, 30, suffered a torn ACL on New Year’s Eve last season and remains unsigned after holding a workout with the New York Giants last week.

For the mean time, the Patriots will continue to rely on Vederian Lowe at left tackle, who is expected to play on Sunday barring a setback after spending the week limited. Rookie Caedan Wallace is also expected back at some point as he makes progress from the ankle injury that caused him to land on IR after Week 3.

3. Opportunity awaits: Facing off against a historically bad Tennessee Titans special teams unit, which currently features the fourth-lowest special teams DVOA ever recorded, the Detroit Lions popped a 90-yard punt return touchdown, a 64-yard punt return, and a 72-yard kickoff return last week.

New England is expecting a better showing this week from Tennessee, but there should be plays to be had for the Patriots return units and Marcus Jones, who leads the AFC with a 13.1-yard punt return average after his 62-yard return last week.

“We’re always looking for opportunities in the return game,” special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer said. “They had some some issues last week but like I said Colt [Anderson’s] a good coach over there. They got a good staff and I fully expect those guys to clean whatever they had going on there up and be ready to play against us.

“I told our guys that too as well. It doesn’t mean his Detroit have big returns that we’re going to automatically have big returns.”

4. Mr. Reliable: Tight end Hunter Henry continued his strong season against the Jets as he hauled in five passes for 45 yards. While the box score may not jump off the screen, Henry’s catches included a 3rd-and-5 conversion in the first quarter, a 3rd-and-11 conversion to beat a blitz on the final field goal drive, and started the game-winning drive started with a 12-yard contested catch. Henry also had a key block on the game-winning touchdown.

The 29-year old captain is on pace for career-highs in both catches (68) and yards (761) as he continues to be the Patriots’ most reliable pass catcher.

“Always want to be reliable,” Henry said. “That’s something that hopefully by the end of my career, that’s one of the number one things guys can say, that they can rely on me in every situation. Not only just football but rely on me off the field too.”

5. Milton’s honor: As Drake Maye is ready to go for Sunday, fellow rookie Joe Milton will revert back to his emergency third-string quarterback role. If Maye hypothetically wasn’t able to go, the Patriots would have been confident in Milton, who was honored this week as one of the team’s practice players of the week for the second time this year, as the primary backup.

“Joe’s done a great job,” Jerod Mayo said. “I would say for Joe, he’s a natural leader first and foremost. He gets those guys going, which is great. Obviously, he has all the skill set and tools to go out there and make all the throws, but I would say just from his mentality and leadership evolution or progress, I think he’s doing a good job.”

6. Jones’ value: “I do know Jon Jones is a valuable piece of our defense who is a [core player to our foundation],” defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington said Thursday. “He’s one of those players that’s again another player that you might not see a loud vocal leader, but that’s a guy that shows up every day with toughness, that deals with different things week-to-week, and he’s a good veteran player for our DBs and our football team.

“Love Jon Jones, what he brings to our team, what he’s going to bring to our team for the future, and just what he’s going to do for us on Sunday too.”

7. Andrews’ role: After undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery, David Andrews is back with the team where he has taken on a new role in the building. That has included helping fellow offensive lineman learn different defenses and techniques off the field while being a usual spectator on the practice field.

“DA is one of the smartest O-linemen I’ve ever been around — especially at this level,” Vederian Lowe said. “When he’s still around, you feel the leadership presence. You just know you have another great mind there who knows the game, who knows what he’s talking about.”

8. Fine-worthy: Despite not receiving a flag on the play, Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood was fined $6,354 for unnecessary roughness (use of the helmet) for the hit that landed Patriots quarterback Drake Maye in concussion protocol last week.

9. Turnover-free: The Patriots have gone two straight games with turning the ball over and will look to repeat their success in that area against Tennessee. If they finish without a turnover, it will be the first time they’ve gone three straight games without a turnover since Weeks 11-13 in 2022.

10. Setting up the week ahead: Following the trip home from Nashville, things are expected to be business as usual for New England in Week 10. The team will practice from Wednesday through Friday before they hit the road again for another road game.

That will take them to Chicago, where a showdown between No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams and No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye should be on deck.