Devin McCourty joins The Camera Guys to discuss what he expects from the Patriots secondary this season
The New England Patriots' defense needs to be better in 2022. That's abundantly clear after New England gave up 27 or more points in three of its last four games of the 2021 regular season, then allowed the Buffalo Bills to score seven touchdowns on seven drives in a 47-17 AFC Wild Card Game rout.
But did the Patriots' defense get better on paper this offseason? The secondary lost top cornerback J.C. Jackson to free agency and replaced him with 32-year-old Malcolm Butler, while free-agent signings Terrence Mitchell and Jabrill Peppers and a pair of rookies (Marcus Jones and Jack Jones) join a group that's undergone significant change over the last two seasons.
Patriots safety Devin McCourty admitted it may take some time for that new group to coalesce in 2022.
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"We'll definitely have to grow," McCourty told NBC Sports Boston's "The Camera Guys" Wednesday night in an exclusive interview. "I hate when people say that, because I think when people hear that, they're like, 'Damn, that means they're gonna suck in the beginning.' But I just think no matter what, how we play in the beginning, that can't be the same way we play toward the end. We have to get better."
Even if the secondary endures early growing pains, McCourty believes the group has a collective mentality that will help it succeed this fall.
"We have a lot of guys that are going to fight and claw to prove what they can do," McCourty said. " ... The group is obviously unproven, hasn't had a lot of time together. But also, that's the National Football League. I think sometimes we get so spoiled because we didn't have to go through that."
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The Patriots' longest-tenured defensive player has seen several iterations of New England's secondary, from the 2014 cornerback duo of Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner to Duron Harmon and Patrick Chung alongside him at safety to Stephon Gilmore and Jackson operating as shutdown corners.
The good news for New England is that safeties Adrian Phillips and Kyle Dugger are entering their third season together, and McCourty sees that duo playing a key role in 2022.
"Dugg and AP have really come in the last two years and shown what they can do," McCourty said. "Obviously AP is a veteran; when veterans are undrafted, sometimes people don't understand their worth and what they can do, but I love that AP has gotten to shine in our defense.
"And then Dugg was a D-II guy who was similar to me and (2022 first-round draft pick) Cole Strange: 'Why did they draft him with their first pick?' That's all anybody said the night all three of us were drafted, and I love that Dugg has been the freakin' hammer when he has to be, killing somebody, and he can be back deep playing the ball."
In fact, McCourty cited the opportunity to work with young players like Dugger as big reasons why he returned for a 13th season instead of retiring like his brother, Jason.
"That's why I'm still playing," McCourty said. "I have a lot of fun being the old guy among young guys. We have a group of guys that are like, 'How'd y'all play this?' They want to learn, and I've enjoyed that a lot."
The Patriots certainly don't have the most talented defense in the AFC, but they've succeeded with less talent in the past, and McCourty believes the secondary will play with an edge that could help bridge that talent gap.