Patriots Could Trade Frustrating Defender

The New England Patriots have a new head coach in Mike Vrabel, and with Vrabel being a strong defensive mind, he surely has fresh plans to help the Patriots' defense return to prominence.

That surely means he wants his own guys in there, which could mean New England may have to trade some pieces.

With Vrabel having played linebacker on the NFL level, he may pay specific attention to that position, which means that the Pats' linebacking corps may not be safe.

Robert Spillane is obviously fine, as the Patriots just signed him, but players like Ja'Whaun Bentley and Jahlani Tavai could ultimately find themselves on the chopping block.

Michael DeVito of Musket Fire feels that Tavai in particular could be on the move, noting that he may not fit Vrabel's scheme.

"Tavai is another matter altogether. He'll also be 29 this season," DeVito wrote. "He had a decent season with 115 total tackles and five passed defended, but only one lone sack in 2024. In addition, Tavai publicly called out the Patriots' fandom for booing the team at Gillette Stadium."

DeVito also mentions that New England also recently signed linebacker Jack Gibbens, who Vrabel coached with the Tennessee Titans. That could potentially spell the end for Tavai.

Tavai did register over 100 tackles in back-to-back campaigns, but he logged a subpar 55.5 overall grade at Pro Football Focus this past season, as his coverage skills left much to be desired.

While the former second-round pick is a decent rotational piece, he probably shouldn't be a starter on a contending team, and while the Pats are certainly not contenders yet, they are trying to get there. Plus, at Tavai's age, he likely isn't going to improve.

We'll see if the Patriots ultimately send Tavai packing in the coming weeks or months.