Bill Belichick glad to have Kyle Van Noy’s versatility back on hand for Patriots after a year away

One March after Kyle Van Noy became a member of the Miami Dolphins, the linebacker became a member of the New England Patriots again.

Both sides will soon revisit in the season opener. Bill Belichick is glad to have the 30-year-old’s versatility on his.

“It’s good to have Kyle back,” the Patriots head coach told reporters during his press conference on Monday. “Kyle’s a productive player for us. He’s versatile. He does a lot of different things and can play multiple positions defensively. So that gives him a lot of value and gives us some versatility that’s always good in defending the different types of offensive systems that we go up against. How that may change from week to week, I don’t know. We’ll just have to see. Maybe it won’t change at all.”

Van Noy started 13 games and played 78 percent of the defensive snaps in 2020 with Miami. Serving as a team captain off the edges and off the ball under head coach Brian Floroes, he totaled 69 tackles, six sacks, six pass deflections, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

But the Dolphins moved on from Van Noy one year into a four-year, $51 million contract that featured $15 million fully guaranteed. A base salary of $12.5 million was scheduled to become guaranteed if on the roster by the third day of the 2021 league year.

He announced his return to the New England roster on a two-year deal following his official release.

The Patriots originally acquired the former second-round pick from the Detroit Lions leading up to the 2016 NFL trade deadline. The rights to pick No. 215 and No. 239 overall changed hands. And from there, Van Noy earned a pair of Super Bowl rings to have on his.

The Brigham Young product started 52 games, including playoffs, during his initial stint with New England.

“If you want to be multiple and be versatile, somebody’s got to do it. I don’t think everybody has to do it,” Belichick said. “But Kyle certainly has had a lot of experience playing in multiple positions for us. He’s smart. He’s a very instinctive player. He sees things quickly, can anticipate well. So he adds a lot of versatility to our defense, for sure.”

Van Noy posted a career-high 6.5 sacks with the Patriots in 2019. He added 56 tackles, six pass deflections, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a touchdown en route to an outside linebacker spot next to Rob Ninkovich on the All-Decade team.

Sunday’s kickoff at Gillette Stadium is set for 4:25 p.m. ET.