The Patriots are en route to Western New York for Sunday night's primetime showdown vs. the Bills, and reinforcements are on the way for New England's defense.
With four players listed as questionable for Sunday night's game, the good news is that DT Milton Williams (ankle) and CB Carlton Davis III (illness) traveled with the team to Buffalo, while New England also activated LB Jahlani Tavai (calf) from injured reserve. However, starting edge-rusher K'Lavon Chaisson (knee) was downgraded to out on Saturday, meaning Chaisson will not play vs. the Bills in Week 5.
Starting with Tavai's return, the Patriots linebacker first injured his calf during organized team activities on June 2. Tavai originally began training camp on the physically unable to perform list, but practiced briefly at the start of camp before re-aggravating the injury. The team then placed the veteran on injured reserve (designated to return) on roster cutdown day, making him eligible to return this season. Tavai returned to practice this past Wednesday, starting his 21-day clock to be activated off injured reserve. On Saturday, the Patriots made it official, with Tavai taking an open spot on New England's 53-man roster.
"Worked really hard to be in shape, trying to simulate football shape and his return to play, trying to maximize the time away from the actual practice, and working with our training staff, working with our strength coaches and was ready to go," head coach Mike Vrabel said of Tavai on Friday. "It was exciting to see him get out there and get practice, defense and the special teams."
With the Patriots new regime moving on from other holdovers at linebacker, Vrabel pointed to Tavai's versatility to play multiple spots in the defense as one reason why the team wants to continue working with the 29-year-old linebacker, who signed a contract extension last July.
"Versatility. I think he plays with good technique. I think he can play multiple spots. I think he's an instinctive player. I think he sees the field. I think he understands different concepts. He's a veteran player who's played in multiple spots, so there's a versatility there," Vrabel said.
To the head coach's point, Tavai's best football came when he was splitting time between playing traditional inside linebacker and on the edge of the defense. In his breakout 2023 season, Tavai had nearly an even 50-50 split in snaps on and off the line of scrimmage, playing a role the Patriots used to call the "adjuster" because of the flexibility to play different spots. The seventh-year pro logged 35 stops and 13 total pressures in 2023, ranking fourth among linebackers with an 86.6 grade from Pro Football Focus.
Last season, Tavai was asked to play more traditional middle linebacker when former LB Ja'Whaun Bentley went down for the season with a shoulder injury, leading to a down year for Tavai. However, in theory, Tavai could be in a role in Vrabel's defense that is comparable to the one he played in 2023, playing next to captain Robert Spillane, who is similar to Bentley as a true MIKE linebacker in the middle of the Patriots defense.
Although there aren't any guarantees, there's an opportunity for Tavai to return to his 2023 form. New England has been mixing and matching with the spot next to Spillane, as the play at weakside linebacker has been inconsistent. Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss has started the first four games, while LB Jack Gibbens has seen an uptick in snaps over the last two weeks, especially on early-downs where he's a sturdier run defender. In the spring, early indications suggested that Tavai would have a role in the defense. Given the up-and-down play at the linebacker spot next to Spillane, there's a path for Tavai to become a contributor this season on defense and special teams.
As for Chaisson, the Patriots edge rusher missed two of the three practices this week due to a lingering knee injury. Chaisson started the first four games at outside linebacker, mainly rushing over the left tackle, with captain Harold Landry on the other side. He ranks 20th among edge defenders in pass-rush win rate, logging 2.5 sacks and 13 total pressures in the first four weeks. Due to his knee injury, Chaisson will not play on Sunday night.
Without the LSU product, the Patriots will likely turn to third-year pro Keion White and sturdy run-stopper Anfernee Jennings. White played a season-high 42 snaps last week, registering three total pressures and a run stuff, while Jennings is at his best setting the edge of the defense in the run game. Given their complementary skillsets, the Pats could lean more on Jennings on early-downs and White in pass-rush situations.
The Patriots defense will face MVP quarterback Josh Allen and the NFL's second-ranking scoring offense in the Bills, so Davis and Williams traveling with the team to Buffalo is huge. More specifically, New England's defense needs to create negative plays against a Bills offense that doesn't turn the ball over often. Buffalo has gone 25-straight games without losing the turnover battle, an NFL record, but getting this Bills offense into third-and-long is a massive key to the game. Therefore, having a mostly healthy defense, including arguably their best defender in Williams, is a positive development.
The Patriots visit the Buffalo Bills with kickoff at 8:20 p.m. ET at Highmark Stadium on Sunday night.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
