Meet a Dozen Castoffs Who Could Play Key Roles for the Patriots in Super Bowl LI
The New England Patriots team that will compete for the Vince Lombardi Trophy on Sunday in Super Bowl LI will be familiarly unfamiliar.
I know. On the surface that doesn't make sense. But hear me out. See, casual and diehard fans alike have become familiar with the Patriots as a team that—aside from a few irreplaceable cogs—remains competitive despite constantly changing.
Head coach Bill Belichick has spent a decade-and-a-half reusing and recycling key players, many of whom were left for dead by their previous employers. Every year, he and his front-office cohorts pluck veterans either from the open market or from fellow teams that, for a variety of reasons, have given up on said veterans.
They're known as reclamation projects, and nobody in football has taken on as many as the Patriots.
Here's a rundown of 12 such players who possess the ability to make a major difference when the Pats meet the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday in Houston.
Wide Receiver Chris Hogan
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After going undrafted in 2011, Chris Hogan was a journeyman for the first couple of years of his career, bouncing from San Francisco (released before his rookie season) to New York (released three weeks later) to Miami (released at the start of his sophomore season) to Buffalo.
He did catch on with the Bills later in that second campaign and stuck around for more than three years. But he started just six games and never had more than 450 receiving yards in Buffalo.
In the 2016 offseason, New England stole Hogan from the Bills as a restricted free agent with a front-loaded offer sheet. And in his first year with the Patriots, the 28-year-old averaged a league-high 17.9 yards per catch in a breakout 680-yard, four-touchdown campaign.
In two playoff games, he's caught 13 of the 16 passes thrown his way for 275 yards and two touchdowns.
Tight End Martellus Bennett
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The Cowboys' second-round pick in 2008, Martellus Bennett never lived up to expectations in Dallas and wasn't able to stand out with the Giants. He did have a couple of strong years in Chicago, but the Bears didn't value him much, based on the fact they traded the 29-year-old and a sixth-round pick to New England for a fourth-round pick last spring.
That's right, the Pats moved down 77 slots in the middle of the draft to add the ultimate Rob Gronkowski insurance policy. Sure enough, Gronk went down in late November, and Bennett has delivered in his stead.
He caught a career-high seven touchdown passes while hitting the 700-yard mark during the regular season. And among tight ends who were targeted at least 50 times, Bennett was one of only five to haul in more than 75 percent of the passes thrown his way, per Pro Football Focus.
Like Hogan, he'll be one of Tom Brady's top options in the Super Bowl.
Running Back LeGarrette Blount
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Former teams: Titans, Buccaneers, Patriots, Steelers
In Tennessee's defense, LeGarrette Blount was an undrafted free agent who'd been plagued by off-the-field problems when he entered the league in 2010, and he was fighting an uphill battle with Chris Johnson already on the roster. The Titans waived him before the start of his rookie season, but Tampa immediately claimed him. Blount put up a 1,007-yard rookie campaign with the Bucs.
The Pats originally brought him in via a trade with Tampa in 2013, and Blount excelled that season with seven touchdowns and a 5.0 yards-per-attempt average. He also had a 166-yard, four-touchdown performance in a playoff victory over the Colts.
Blount leveraged that into a two-year contract with the Steelers, but he caused trouble on and off the field in Pittsburgh. He was released in November and back on the New England roster before December 2014, averaging 4.7 yards per carry down the stretch for a Pats team that would go on to win the Super Bowl with Blount in a major role.
When healthy, he's been New England's top back ever since.
That'll likely be the case against the Falcons.
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Cornerback Eric Rowe
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Former team: Eagles
Despite the fact he was a second-round pick in 2015, Eric Rowe lasted just a single season with the Philadelphia Eagles. The cornerback spent much of his rookie season on the sideline, and when he did earn a few starts late, he was consistently roasted.
With Rowe buried on the Philly depth chart, the Patriots pounced prior to the start of the 2016 regular season, trading a conditional middle-round pick to Philly in exchange for the 24-year-old. He didn't play much early on but became a valuable part of the secondary during the second half of the year, posting stellar coverage numbers.
Including the playoffs, opposing quarterbacks have completed 47.4 percent of their passes when targeting Rowe this season. According to Pro Football Focus, that is the lowest qualifying opposing completion percentage in the NFL.
And he had a particularly shiny performance in the AFC Championship Game against Pittsburgh, surrendering just two completions on nine targets while intercepting Ben Roethlisberger in the fourth quarter.
The Pats love versatility, and Rowe is a former safety who has enough size (6'1", 205 lbs) to match up with elite receivers on the outside. He could play myriad roles Sunday, and don't be surprised if he spends some time covering top Falcons weapon Julio Jones.
Running Back Dion Lewis
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Former teams: Eagles, Browns, Colts
The Eagles hardly used Dion Lewis during his first two years in the league. They traded him to Cleveland in 2013, but he missed the entire season due to a fractured fibula. The next fall, he was cut by the Browns, signed by Indianapolis and cut by the Colts in a span of 18 days.
But once again, another team's trash became Bill Belichick's treasure.
Lewis has started 12 regular-season and playoff games since signing with New England in 2015, picking up 1,082 yards from scrimmage during that stretch. The 26-year-old still has trouble staying healthy, but when he's on the field, the Patriots are a much better team.
In fact, they're a perfect 16-0 in games in which Lewis has been active.
Suffice it to say, he'll be active—and probably quite busy—in Houston.
Defensive End Jabaal Sheard
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Former team: Browns
A second-round pick in 2011, Jabaal Sheard was good, but not great, during his first four years in the league with the Browns. And then he got away on a two-year, $11 million bargain contract with New England, where the Pittsburgh product had four sacks in his first four games. That's twice as many as he recorded the entire previous season in Cleveland.
Sheard finished the year with eight sacks and four forced fumbles despite starting just one game. His numbers took a dip this season, but he still managed to post the fifth-highest defensive Pro Football Focus grade on the team while serving in a situational role.
Expect him to be out there for at least 30 snaps against Atlanta.
Defensive Tackle Alan Branch
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A second-round pick in 2007, Alan Branch was largely neglected during his first four seasons with the Cards, but he excelled in two years as a starter in Seattle. That caused him to jump to Buffalo, where he had a fine 2013 season but was released after being arrested for a DWI prior to the 2014 season.
New England to the rescue.
Like LeGarrette Blount, Branch signed with the Pats midway through their last Super Bowl campaign. His snaps were limited down the stretch that year, but he's started 34 regular-season and playoff games the last two seasons.
The 32-year-old's 16.3 2016 Pro Football Focus grade is easily the best of his career.
Linebacker Kyle Van Noy
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Former team: Lions
A lot of folks were shocked when the Patriots traded starting linebacker Jamie Collins to the Browns on Oct. 31. But the Pats made a quieter move one week earlier that has made life without Collins a heck of a lot easier.
On Oct. 25, Bill Belichick and Co. traded a sixth-round pick to the Detroit Lions in exchange for Kyle Van Noy and a seventh-round pick. So Van Noy—a 2014 second-round pick who barely saw the field during his first two seasons before struggling as a starter in Year 3—went to New England practically for free.
Unsurprisingly, he's flourished in an active backup role with the Patriots.
The 26-year-old had a sack in his first game with New England, and he's posted positive Pro Football Focus grades six times in nine contests with the team. He played 41 of 69 defensive snaps in the AFC Championship Game against the Steelers, forcing a huge fumble in the second half while recording four tackles and a strong 1.6 PFF grade.
Don't be surprised to see plenty of him again in Houston.
Linebacker Shea McClellin
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Former team: Bears
The 19th overall pick of the 2012 draft, Shea McClellin was a bust with the Bears. He started just 31 games in four seasons in Chicago. In 2013, Pro Football Focus graded him as the worst edge defender in the NFL (176th out of 176). In 2015, after a position change, he was graded 114th out of 130 inside linebackers.
The Bears didn't pick up his fifth-year option, and the Patriots swooped in and signed the 27-year-old in the 2016 offseason for only $9 million over three years.
McClellin hasn't become a star in New England, but he's started four games and has played major roles in several others. He's recovered a couple of fumbles—one of which he brought back for a 69-yard touchdown—and in Week 14, he leaped over Baltimore's long snapper to block a Justin Tucker field goal in a close, important contest.
Expect him to play a large role on special teams while getting plenty of defensive snaps against Atlanta.
Defensive End Chris Long
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Former team: Rams
The No. 2 overall pick in 2008, Chris Long never lived up to expectations with the then-St. Louis Rams. The pass-rusher wasn't terrible—he had four eight-plus-sack seasons and didn't miss a start between 2010 and 2013. However, he never made a Pro Bowl, and he struggled with his health and productivity in 2014 and 2015.
Less than a month after the Rams parted ways with Long in the 2016 offseason, New England pounced on the 31-year-old. And while he's not playing every down, he's done a stellar job as a rotational pass-rusher. He had four sacks, 22 tackles and a forced fumble during the regular season, and according to Pro Football Focus, he produced three quarterback pressures despite playing just 20 snaps against the Steelers in the AFC Championship Game.
The nine-year veteran will see some opportunities to get after Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan in the Super Bowl.
Safety Patrick Chung
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Former teams: Patriots and Eagles
This one is a little complicated, because the Patriots drafted Patrick Chung in the second round in 2009. He started 30 games for them in his first four seasons, picking up seven interceptions, three sacks and 152 tackles while recording strong Pro Football Focus grades in three of those four years.
The Pats let him slip away to Philadelphia in 2013, but Chung was a mess while dealing with injuries and a lack of productivity during his one season with the Eagles.
He returned to the Pats in 2014 and has been a solid starter ever since.
He was graded as a top-10 safety by PFF in both 2014 and 2015. And while his advanced stats weren't as strong this year, the 29-year-old contributed nicely with a pick, a sack and 48 tackles in 16 regular-season starts.
Watch for Chung to play a huge role in coverage against Atlanta's dangerous passing game in Houston.
Wide Receiver Michael Floyd
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Former team: Cardinals
One day after a DUI arrest caused the Cardinals to release talented former first-round pick Michael Floyd, the Patriots scooped him up. And just a fortnight after that, Floyd caught a first-quarter touchdown pass from Brady in New England's Week 17 victory over the Miami Dolphins.
The 27-year-old played 68 percent of New England's offensive snaps in a two-game stretch between Week 17 and the team's divisional-round game against the Houston Texans, catching four passes for 45 yards and that touchdown. But he was a healthy scratch against the Steelers in the AFC Championship Game.
It's possible he'll be inactive again Sunday. But the Patriots are unpredictable, so it also wouldn't be a surprise if Floyd played a major role against Atlanta.
How Do They Do It?
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Again, this isn't new. And what it comes down to is this: Bill Belichick is a genius. I know that seems like an oversimplified explanation, but Occam's razor is a beautiful concept.
Belichick and the Patriots identify talent like nobody else. That's the only way to explain how they've been dominant for the better part of two decades—the only way to explain why they've defied all odds along with salary cap- and free agency-related parity to conceive the longest-lasting dynasty in the history of professional football.
Just look at the key players on their roster who aren't technically NFL reclamation projects. Tom Brady wasn't deserted by other teams the way the dozen players listed above were, but he was passed on 198 times in the 2000 NFL draft. Top wide receiver Julian Edelman was the 232nd selection in 2009, and 41 players were selected ahead of All-Galaxy tight end Rob Gronkowski in the 2010 draft.
Give the Patriots an infinite number of third-round draft picks and they might never lose again. And while they try every spring to add as many selections as possible to their board, there are only so many players you can draft every year.
So they're forced to bide their time until their counterparts have lost hope in talented players who have either been overlooked or miscast (or both). And then they pounce, just as they did in the 12 examples above and with so many reclamation projects that came before that group (Rob Ninkovich, Wes Welker and Danny Woodhead, to name a few).
It's a clever system, described well here by Matt Williamson of FanRag Sports: "[Belichick] offers 10 cents on the dollar that the original team paid for their players in draft capital, and he brings former early picks to New England, where not only is there an unbelievable winning culture, but these talented players also have to quickly realize that the NFL can stand for 'Not For Long' and that they could be facing the point of career extinction if they don’t play well in New England."
But it also requires the Patriots to get the most out of handpicked players who best suit what they do.
"I think these coaches just put players in positions that they're the best at," McClellin said recently, per Nora Princiotti of the Boston Globe. "They're not going to put players in any positions that they're not good at, so I think that's the main difference. They put you in positions that you do well in. They don't care when you were drafted or how you did in other places. They just care about what you're doing now."
Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012.
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