NFL New England Patriots

New England Patriots Make Smart Move Acquiring OLB Akeem Ayers

Fresh Videos

By @Will_Gellman

Akeem Ayers Patriots

Getty Images

Heading into this week, much had been made about the New England Patriots‘ run defense. With the recent injury to LB Jerod Mayo, there was real concern that a horrible defense against the run would get even worse. Today, however, the Patriots made a major move in an effort to fix that problem.

According to several sources, the Patriots have traded a sixth-round draft pick to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for Akeem Ayers and a seventh-round pick. All of those picks reportedly changing hands in the 2015 NFL Draft. The Patriots ultimately gave up next to nothing to acquire a player with a big name and solid production through three seasons.

Ultimately, the Patriots have improved their team in three different ways as a result of this trade. Firstly, the team can now plug in a guy in Ayers who has some versatility, able to rush the passer, cover tight ends in the passing game and stop the run with his solid tackling ability.

Secondly, the Patriots can improve their defense in a systematic way. Plugging in Ayers will allow the Patriots to use their other players differently along the front seven. For example, a guy like Jamie Collins can now be strictly used in pass-defense situations, allowing him to be used in a way that better utilizes his skill-set.

Thirdly, the Patriots’ secondary and pass rush have a chance to improve from this trade as well. If the run defense improves, the Patriots can then aggressively defend the pass and rush the passer without hesitation. In other words, stopping the run can help make the secondary more aggressive and not off-balance.

This trade should make the Patriots much better in both the short and long term. Ayers has a chance to mirror the production that Brandon Spikes had in his tenure with the Patriots, maybe even with the potential to better since he is faster and better in coverage.

The trade is reminiscent to me of Aqib Talib, a talented player who the Patriots got cheap that could help to be a game changer on their defense. It is still much too early to determine whether Ayers will work out for the Pats, but it is certainly a very low-risk, high-reward move.

Will Gellman is a New England Patriots writer for www.RantSports.com.  Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

Related Links:

New England Patriots Should Call About Vincent Jackson

New England Patriots Acquire Akeem Ayers, But Don’t Solve Run Defense Issues

5 Players New England Patriots Could Trade By Deadline

Share Tweet
Trending Now on