Is It Time to Panic About the New England Patriots Secondary?

Devin McCourty could do nothing but shake his head.

The New England Patriots safety and big-ticket free-agent signing has been fielding questions for nearly six months about the departures of cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner. So, when he was asked about it again after practice on Tuesday, his reaction was understandable.

"I honestly think that's a little overrated," McCourty said. "I think everyone still wants to talk about it, but here, we're just playing football with the guys we've got here. We're not worried about who was here last year. I think everyone knows Coach (Bill) Belichick is probably the quickest on getting us past last year and everything that happened. For us, it's just a focus on this year and what we have to do to be competitive and have a good secondary."

Of course, the Patriots wouldn't show any signs of panic externally or with the media, even if there were any panic inside the walls of Gillette Stadium. But there's no reason for panic, anyway.

Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind in all of this: There have been a lot of changes at cornerback, but there is a good deal of consistency at safety. Last year's starters—McCourty at free safety and Patrick Chung at strong safety—are both back again in 2015. So are backups Duron Harmon, Tavon Wilson and Nate Ebner. 

Their presence will help galvanize the secondary, no matter who is starting at cornerback.

To borrow from former head coach Bill Parcells, the Patriots have bought enough groceries to put together a balanced dinner. The Patriots recipe is a blend of youth and athleticism, a dash of veteran savvy and an overtone of players (or ingredients) who simply fit the scheme (or flavor palate, while we're on the food analogy).

Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan will end up being the main ingredients, regardless of what order they are put in. For now, you can expect to see Butler serving as the top perimeter cornerback with Ryan lining up primarily in the slot; Robert McClain has challenged for snaps in the slot in practice, and he could factor into the equation there as well.

The boundary spot opposite Butler is up for grabs, but Tarell Brown should be considered the front-runner. That being said, there could also be situations where Ryan lines up on the boundary and McClain comes in as the slot cornerback. 

There are as many options as there are players to fill the three spots. 

Right now, the Patriots are searching for the combination that works best as a unit and fits all the requirements of the scheme. 

One important caveat: This year's scheme will probably be a little different from last year's scheme.

With physical cornerbacks like Revis and Browner in the fold to play tight man-to-man coverage, the Patriots were able to run a more aggressive scheme. There will still be some man coverage, but with a plethora of quick, smart read-and-react cornerbacks with good ball skills, we'll probably see more conservative zone-coverage calls.

But make no mistake; with two high-profile departures at cornerback, the focus will shift more tightly to the other players at that position to follow in some big footsteps.

"I'm looking forward to that [opportunity], but we will see how things turn out," Butler said. "I am looking forward to it, got to put the work in first, you got to earn your spot and earn the coaches' trust and your teammates' trust, so that's what I got to do to get to that point."

Butler showed promise last year, but the fact that Butler is an incumbent would be quite a bit scarier if he hadn't intercepted a goal-line throw to seal a Super Bowl victory. He is not resting on his laurels, though, and is having a strong camp. 

With one year of experience, he is the second-most experienced cornerback in the Patriots defense. Ryan has the most familiarity of any cornerback in the Patriots defense, with two years of experience.

The dip in experience and star power does not come without a dip in talent, but the hope is that the defense will benefit from some added depth in the front seven.

The Patriots have not been one of the most effective defenses in the NFL when it comes to the number of sacks they generate, but we could be seeing a much more aggressive defense up front this year. Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich have been an effective pair of defensive ends and outside linebackers for the past couple of years, but now, the burden of the entire pass rush doesn't fall squarely on their shoulders alone.

There are rookies: Geneo Grissom, Trey Flowers and Xzavier Dickson. There are veterans: Jabaal Sheard and Zach Moore.

This looks more like the defense that head coach Bill Belichick took to the Super Bowl in the early-2000s than the one that went to the Super Bowl last year. Back then, most of the star power was in the front seven. 

There are some defenses that trot the same 11 guys onto the field nearly every snap. The Patriots will not be one of those defenses. Far from it. In fact, remember the approach the Patriots took on the offensive line in 2014? They mixed and matched personnel for the first four weeks of the season while they found a combination that worked.

That's likely to be what we'll see all over the defense: at cornerback and in the front seven. 

But the way the Patriots have built their defense this year—from the added depth in the front seven to the deep competition in the secondary—gives them that many more options for finding the right combination. 

Unless otherwise noted, all practice notes and quotes obtained firsthand.