The New England Patriots are back from their mini-bye and are set to head out to Cincinnati for the second straight season. A struggling Bengals team appears ready to get a boost with quarterback Joe Burrow’s return, but a historically bad defense still sets the stage for a big day for Drake Maye and the Patriots offense.
So, let’s get into this week’s #PostPulpit Mailbag.
What changes would you expect on defense with Milton Williams out and is it realistic to see him back on the field especially with a potential playoff run? - Kingratt
Replacing Milton Williams, who has established himself as one of the top interior pass rushers in football, will be no easy task. With him sidelined against the Jets, Cory Durden was used more in four-down fronts while also coming on the field in pass rush situations next to Christian Barmore. I would imagine that trend continues moving forward also with Khyiris Tonga seeing a bit more time in four-down fronts as well.
New England can then also mix in rookie Joshua Farmer, while Eric Gregory impressed as a run defender in his debut and Mike Vrabel also mentioned the availability of pass rusher Jeremiah Pharms on the practice squad.
Beyond the personnel changes, I would not expect any major scheme changes up front without Milton Williams — but do wonder if the Patriots already average pass rush will need to blitz more if the four-man pressure numbers start to fall off without Williams’ presence.
As for the defensive tackle’s timetable, he will miss a minimum of four games (not weeks) after being placed on injured reserve which will make Week 17 the earliest he can return. These are usually 4-to-6 week injuries, so it does seem like Williams should be back come playoffs.
I thought it was interesting that when Williams went on IR that Swinson was signed from the PS. The rumor was that both he and Dippre were signed to keep them from being poached and if that’s the case it makes more sense. Do you think it’s possible also that either or both showed enough at practice to merit being signed regardless of Williams going on IR and might get a significant number of snaps, now that they’re here? - wrw921
Adding both players to the active roster did put an end to other teams making offers, but their development since training camp also played a role in New England wanting to continue working with them. I wouldn’t expect either Swinson or Dippre to have a major role out of the gate with the duo likely even being inactive the next few weeks. But, they should get opportunities (at least on special teams) down the line.
Wouldn’t it make sense to get the ball to Kyle Williams via short passes or a jet sweep early in a game just to get him into the flow and build up some confidence? - c. lassiter
I was thinking that when getting Kyle Williams more involved, it should be more on crossing routs/quick screens & work his way into longer routes as he develops timing & chemistry with Maye…. Build on him gaining more confidence…. In doing that it also gets him in space to use his speed/create faster separation…. Thoughts? - KissBillsRings
They did work some schemed touches to Williams early in the season with not much results, but using his speed to their advantage is absolutely worthwhile. We’ll see what the rookie’s usage this week will be with Kayshon Boutte looking set to return, but using Williams on some underneath crossers against a Bengals secondary that has struggled with (everything) passing things off and communicating could lead to some chunk gains.
And while we’re on Williams, the rookie continues to get open on a weekly basis getting off the line of scrimmage with his releases and creating easy separation downfield. It just has come down to chemistry with him and Drake Maye due to their lack of reps together, but confidence in Williams remains high moving forward from this point of view.
While no one is going to mistake Dell Pettus for the “TE Eraser,” Pat Chung, his 4th down break-up against the Jets was promising. With more opportunities on the horizon, do you see him providing a potential solution to the Pats’ TE coverage woes? - RyeRivers
Seems like more opportunities are coming his way, something Mike Vrabel even said out loud in last week’s post-game locker room. Pettus has good coverage instincts and has impressed against tight ends dating back to last year. Wonder if that leads to them running more dime packages to get him on the field.
What do you think Kuhr’s future looks like with the Pats? Will he be given the full DC title next season? - PatsHowYouDoIt
Purely speculative, but do wonder if there is a path to Kuhr being named the full-time defensive coordinator with Terrell Williams (assuming, and hoping, he is healthy) slides back into an advisor-type role. Either way, Kuhr should remain around.
Many members of the sports media quote Pro Football Focus grades. However Corey Durden, who I have barely noticed, is just outside the top 10 as DT and TreVeyon Henderson, who has starred, is only the 52nd rated RB. What are they looking at and do you consider PFF grades even worth following? - Depotfox
PFF has analysts who evaluate every player based on what they attempt to do on every play and gives a grade from -2 to +2 with 0 being the average. That ultimately leads to the game and then season grade. So, they are not gospel by any means.
The more useful part of PFF is the individual and advanced stats — which help show someone like Cory Durden is first among qualified interior rushers with a 21.4% pass rush win rate.
That’s all for this week’s #PostPulpit mailbag. If you have questions you’d liked to be answered next week, submit them online in our weekly submission post or on Twitter using #PostPulpit. Make sure to be following@iambrianhines and@PatsPulpit as well.