The New England Patriots head into the 2018 off-season in a way nobody at 1 Patriot Place should be happy about: fresh off a loss in Super Bowl LII at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles. While many can point to the myriad of bizarre coaching decisions (like SS Jordan Richards being a big part of the game plan or the benching of starting CB Malcolm Butler in favor of Eric Rowe and Lions castoff Johnson Bademosi) as the primary factor in the loss, nobody can deny that the 2017 Patriots team was not talented enough to win it all–especially on defense. Fortunately the Patriots get a chance to remedy what ailed them in 2017 via free agency and the draft. Over the next few weeks here at Patriots POV, we’re going to highlight a handful of pending free agents that we think can contribute to next year’s iteration of the Patriots in search of their 6th Lombardi Trophy.
The first name on the list is OLB/DE Trent Murphy of the Washington Redskins. Murphy, who will be just 27 years old during the 2018 season, heads into free agency on a sour note after suffering a torn ACL and MCL that cost him his entire 2017 season. Add in the fact that he was coming off his best statistical season in 2016 before injuring his knee and that he suspended 4 games for violating the league’s performance enhancing drug policy and there’s no way Murphy could be pleased with the conditions surrounding his free agency. But teams are always in need of quality players to get after the quarterback so there is still hope for the 6’6, 260 pound pass rusher as he attempts to cash in for the first time on the free agent market.
The Good
Murphy, a former second round pick out of Stanford in 2014, has spent his entire career as an end-of-the-line rotational pass rusher opposite Ryan Kerrigan in Washington’s 3-4 defense. On film, Murphy displays a good first step with impressive bend, allowing him to stress tackles with his outside pass rush move. He’s by no means a burner but flashes functional speed with good pursuit ability. Another trait that stands out on tape is his ability to use his hands to disengage from OL and flat out avoid block attempts altogether. He has decent power and can bull rush OL to create pressures and push the pocket. On occasion, Murphy can even drop into underneath coverages though by no means should this be his primary function.
The Bad
Trent Murphy is clearly a competent pass rusher (as evidence by his 15.0 career sacks); where he struggles, however, is in the run game. Murphy’s ability to set the edge is inconsistent at best, nonexistent at worst. He’ll find himself being pushed around in the run game, and teams routinely ran directly in his direction and far too often he would hold up on the edge but miss the tackle allowing the back to gain yardage that should otherwise not be there. In addition to his run game woes, Murphy relies too much on his outside pass rush move and fails to generate much pressure when that fails. Adding another move to his pass rush arsenal would go a long way.
Is it a Fit?
As you have surely heard ad nauseum, New England runs a multiple defense that can change shape from play to play or drive to drive. A player like Trent Murphy is an ideal fit in the Patriots’ chameleon defense. Murphy would project to play the rotational pass rush role that has previously been played by the likes of Chris Long and Jabaal Sheard. And although the Patriots like their ends to also be able to set the edge, something that isn’t truly a strength of Murphy’s his ability to cover short zones and more importantly impact the passer makes Murphy an intriguing option for the Patriots. With the ability to line up at both defensive end and outside linebacker, Murphy can provide valuable pass rush on third downs and obvious passing situations while allowing Bill Belichick and (assumed) defensive coordinator Brian Flores to continue to disguise their defensive looks.
Coming off a season ending injury and a PED suspension will drastically reduce Murphy’s earning potential this year. Jason Fitzgerald of Overthecap.com currently projects Murphy to be worth about $4M a year, a figure that can easily fit beneath New England’s $13M cap number. A short term deal (say 2 years $9.75M) could be mutually beneficial: The Patriots get mostly durable (missed 17/64 possible games, including 16 in 2017) promising edge defender who can get to the QB for a bargain of a deal, while Murphy gets a chance to rehab his value and chase a Super Bowl ring with the ability to hit the market at 29 for one last payday. It almost makes too much sense not to happen.
Games watched during the course of this film review include 2016 vs Carolina, 2016 vs Cowboys (week 3) and 2016 vs Browns.
Patriots POV 