The New England Patriots did not make any major offseason moves along their interior defensive line this offseason, instead trusting the returning group of players to get the job done. Among them is veteran Lawrence Guy — a player who has just been named the team’s most overrated by USA Today’s Henry McKenna:
New England Patriots: DT Lawrence Guy
He seems to be fading on a run defense that struggled in a big way in 2021. Defensive tackle Christian Barmore is trending toward being a star, though he is playing sparingly in running situations. But if Guy (and Davon Godchaux) continue to play below their potential, the Patriots could accelerate Barmore’s ascent out of necessity. Guy was one of the Patriots’ most underrated contributors as recent as 2020. But his quality of play is slipping.
The 32-year-old Guy is on the back-nine of his career, but New England still trusted him to play a sizable role in 2021: when all was said and done he ranked third behind Christian Barmore and Davon Godchaux in defensive playing time among interior D-linemen.
Whether or not his role changes heading into his 11th season in the league and sixth as a Patriot remains to be seen. Nonetheless, Guy returning to his pre-2021 levels of play would help out a defense that had some issues standing the ground up front.
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