Patriots Seeking More From $45 Million Captain
To start the year, it looked like the Patriots had themselves a major score with the addition of former Titans pass-rusher Harold Landry, who was signed to a three-year, $45 million contract. He had been drafted by coach Mike Vrabel when Vrabel was in Tennessee, so the notion that he would thrive when put into a new situation with New England seemed to add up.
And the numbers showed he did. Landry had 3.5 sacks in his first two games in New England. He had 16 tackles in his first three games. He had five pressures and three quarterback hurries in the Week 6 win in New Orleans alone.
But since that Saints game, Landry has seemed to run out of gas. He has not gotten to the quarterback at nearly the same rate, and has just four pressure in his last five games. Landry has just one hurry in that same span, and has not had a sack for the past four weeks.
Patriots Had Hot Start With Harold Landry
That was one reason many felt that the Patriots would make a move at the trade deadline to add a pass-rusher. Both Landry and K’Lavon Chaisson got off to impressive starts, but have petered out. But without the option to trade, the Patriots will need some improvement from within.
It’s a topic addressed by Patriots beat writer Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald, who did note that Landry had a knee injury in Week 6 in New Orleans and was on the injury report with an ankle injury in Week 7 but has not missed a game because of either issue. He could be playing hurt, though.
Kyed said that if Landry is simply gassed at this point in the season, then perhaps the mini-bye this week after the Thursday night game will re-energize him.
Harold Landry, Edge Rushers to Get Internal Reinforcements
Kyed writes in his Patriots mailbag that the team will be looking at two young options down the stretch of the season to bolster the pass rush, Elijah Ponder and practice-squad call-up Bradyn Swinson:
“Landry has still been a solid defender, despite the low sack numbers in recent weeks. I wouldn’t mind seeing Elijah Ponder and potentially Bradyn Swinson mixed in more over the final third of the season.
“Ponder, an undrafted rookie, now has sacks in consecutive weeks. Swinson was signed off of the practice squad this week. There’s no guarantee that he’ll be active on Sundays, but he was a very disruptive pass-rusher during his senior season at LSU, registering 60 total pressures.”
Patriots’ Mike Vrabel on Bradyn Swinson Addition
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel addressed the expectations for Swinson this week.
“He’s worked hard. He’s improved,” the coach said.
“I think he’s worked hard in the weight room, changing his body, getting stronger, learning special teams and doing a good job there. Give us a great look, and those coaches have done a great job of improving a lot of those guys and hopefully getting them ready here for when they have to play.”
Jaelan Phillips Was the Missing Piece the Eagles Needed
His arrival at the trade deadline has sparked a sharper, faster, more physical Eagles defense
Jaelan Phillips needed only two games in midnight green to show why the Eagles went after him at the trade deadline. Through his first two outings, he has totaled 11 tackles, 6 solo, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery, and 12 quarterback pressures. Those numbers do not just show production. They show a defender who stepped in and immediately raised the floor and the ceiling of a unit that needed direction.
In his debut against the Packers, Phillips recorded 6 tackles, recovered a fumble, and generated 8 pressures. That level of disruption changed how Green Bay operated. The ball came out quicker. The pocket shrank. His constant presence forced adjustments that opened opportunities for the rest of the front. Even without a sack in that game, he controlled his edge and made the offense uncomfortable from the first series through the last.
A week later against Detroit, he added 5 more tackles, his first sack as an Eagle, and 4 more pressures. The sack was a drive-killer, but the pressures mattered just as much. They sped up throws, limited progressions, and put the Lions into long-yardage situations they struggled to solve. The sideline fed off his pace and physicality. The front played tighter. The tempo shifted in a way that showed how quickly Phillips had become a tone setter.
Two games. Twelve pressures. Two offenses forced to adjust their entire approach. It is the exact punch the Eagles were searching for.
Phillips brings more than stats. He brings stability. His ability to hold the edge has limited running lanes that gave the Eagles trouble earlier in the season. His pursuit from the backside has erased plays that usually gain easy yards. When he fires downhill, the rest of the unit follows. When he anchors, the linebackers fit faster. The defense looks more intentional and aligned with him on the field.
The ripple effect shows up everywhere. The secondary plays tighter because the rush collapses pockets faster. Safeties break with confidence because quarterbacks have no time to wait out deeper routes. Linebackers attack gaps with certainty because the structure in front of them is sound. Everything feels more synchronized.
Phillips also plays with a sense of urgency that spreads. New additions usually ease into a role. Phillips did the opposite. He asserted himself with effort and consistency. He finishes snaps. He energizes teammates. He raises the standard without saying much at all.
The Eagles needed a player who could draw attention and lighten the load on everyone else. They needed a defender who could swing a possession with a single snap. They needed a catalyst who could restore the edge that had faded. Phillips has been that piece from the moment he arrived.
The early results are impossible to ignore. The defense looks faster, tougher, and more connected. Assignments are cleaner. Communication is sharper. The confidence feels different.
Phillips has not just filled a role. He has reshaped what the defense looks like. And after only two games, he has already made it clear: he was the missing piece the Eagles needed.
