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To everyone who duct taped the name "Arrington" over their old Pat Chung jerseys, it might be time to rip it off.
According to Tom E. Curran and as reported by CBS Sports, the New England Patriots are planning on bringing back former player Patrick Chung. Chung, a second round pick in the now infamous 2009 Patriots draft, spent his first four years in New England before the team released him and he went to Philly. The Eagles released him in early March, and interest in his services has been minimal up to this point.
The good news is that Chung is a player who knows the system, is familiar with the New England locker room, and adds depth to a fairly thin position at the moment. The bad news is that Chung was, for the most part, a disappointment during his time here, a player that showed flashes but could never really put it together on a consistent basis. Other than an absolutely monster game against the Miami Dolphins in 2010 in which he blocked two kicks and returned an interception for a touchdown, Chung was never the kind of impact player that justified the Patriots taking him 34th overall.
Odds are that Chung is just a camp body, a veteran signed for little money to provide depth and flesh out a position of need. Details of the contract are unknown at this point, but I'd be surprised if there was all that much guaranteed money. Chung is by no means a lock to make the final roster, and if he does see time in a Patriots uniforms, it will most likely be in a special teams and rotational role. Not a horrible signing by any means, but nothing to really celebrate or get upset about either way.
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Hill's Take
It looks like he's coming back and I actually really, really like this move.
Hear me out: he knows the system. He was promising at one point in time. He was forced to play out of position in his final seasons with the Patriots due to the distinct lack of free safety (they made him cover the sidelines instead of stay in the box). He wasn't able to do it and the Patriots let him walk.
Everything has changed and I totally love this.
The Patriots have Devin McCourty hawking the deep half of the field, which would allow Chung to reassume his more natural role of in-the-box strong safety- the role where he looking like a potential star. The team is also looking to play a more physical style in their secondary, where Chung is more suited than Duron Harmon.
And speaking of Harmon, it's not like Chung has been handed the starting spot (even though I think he could fare well as a starter). Having Chung and Harmon provides insurance in case of injury and in case of match-up.