Changes are coming up front for the New England Patriots. It remains to be seen whether a defensive captain will be a part of them.
Deatrich Wise Jr. arrived in Foxborough in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL draft. At 6-foot-5, 280 pounds with arms stretching 35 5/8 inches, the Arkansas Razorbacks product fit the mold of a throwback defensive lineman who could find the field either inside or outside.
But from the inside to the outside, the scheme is subject to shift under new head coach Mike Vrabel as well as new defensive coordinator Terrell Williams, who spent six years together with the Tennessee Titans. More looks with four down linemen could be in the cards. That would bring more single-gap assignments, with shooting into the backfield taking priority and defensive ends aligned as wide as the nine-technique versus tight ends.
The 2024 Patriots ranked last around the league with 28 sacks and within shouting distance with 12 takeaways. Opposing offenses turned third downs into first downs at a rate of 43%, while trips to the red zone became trips to the end zone at a rate of 63%.
Under previous head coach Jerod Mayo and previous defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington, Wise’s five sacks finished tied with former No. 46 overall pick Keion White for the team lead. But 30-year-old’s role scaled back to a situational one.
Wise made a handful of starts during the New England’s second consecutive 4-13 season. The Super Bowl LIII champion played 408 defensive snaps by campaign’s end, his lowest tally since 2019 and a steep departure from the 614 snaps played in 2023 as well as the 829 snaps played in 2022 under then-head coach Bill Belichick.
A foot injury kept Wise sidelined from back-to-back November matchups. His contract year brought 29 tackles. He was charted by Pro Football Focus for three quarterback hits and a dozen quarterback hurries, yet along the way came lapses in terms of keeping the run in front and the penalties behind.
Wise has appeared in 126 games during his Patriots career, starting 61. The three-time captain stands with 314 tackles and 34 sacks. He also stands with five forced fumbles and one fumble recovery, which was returned for a touchdown.
New England retained Wise on a four-year, $22 million deal during NFL free agency in 2021. His agreement included $10 million in guarantees and would later include a restructure. According to OverTheCap.com, he carried a base salary of $4 million and a cap charge of $7.641 million in 2024.
By December, Wise had been named the organization’s Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee. Only cornerback Jonathan Jones currently holds a longer tenure on the defensive side, and the 2016 undrafted addition is also scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March.
“I would love to return,” Wise told reporters during his New Year’s Day press conference at Gillette Stadium. “I love it here. I love the Patriots, the nation, all that. And if everything works out to where I’m back, I’ll enjoy it. And if not, then it was a wonderful time here.”
