8 options for the Patriots to replace Devin McCourty
The Patriots will be in the market for a free safety for the first time in over a decade.
Devin McCourty is no longer a Patriot, leaving New England without a free safety for the first time since the three-time All-Pro converted to the position in 2012.
So, now comes the task of replacing him. It might not be easy, but there are several options and avenues the Patriots can take to fill the void.
Here are eight players and options for the Patriots to replace McCourty.
Jonathan Jones
There are internal options for the Patriots to replace McCourty, but some stand out above the rest.
The first one is Jones, who is actually an unrestricted free agent this offseason. The seven-year corner has shown a ton of versatility in the Patriots’ secondary over the years. He began as a slot corner, and was regarded as the best in the NFL for a few seasons.
This past season, Jones kicked out to boundary corner following the departure of J.C. Jackson. Jones had some success there, recording a career-high four interceptions and 11 passes defended. Opposing quarterbacks completed 46 of 86 passes for 543 yards and six touchdowns with a 76.8 passer rating when targeting Jones last season.
However, Jones struggled against some of the game’s better receivers down the stretch (most notably Justin Jefferson and Stefon Diggs), leaving to question whether the Patriots should continue to play him at that spot.
Well, McCourty’s retirement could open up a spot for him for the foreseeable future. He’s the longest-tenured Patriot in the secondary and he’s briefly played safety in the past, recording over a dozen snaps at free safety during the Patriots’ Super Bowl LIII win over the Rams.
Jalen Mills
Jones isn’t the only Patriots cornerback with some versatility in his background. Mills played safety for a bit with the Eagles during his five-year tenure with the team.
In fact, Mills played free safety for most of the 2020 season, his last in Philadelphia. He recorded a career-high 74 tackles and an interception that season while opposing quarterbacks 34 passes on 59 targets for 221 yards and two touchdowns with an 82.0 passer rating when they threw in his direction that season.
Moving Mills to safety could allow both Jack Jones and Marcus Jones to play more snaps at corner too moving forward.
Jessie Bates III
Bates is widely viewed as the best safety on the free-agent market this offseason after the Bengals opted not to place the franchise tag on him for the second straight season.
It’s not much of a surprise as to why Bates is viewed in such high regard. The 26-year-old recorded 71 combined tackles last season with a career-high four interceptions. Opposing quarterbacks recorded just 19 of 37 passes for 309 yards and four touchdowns when targeting him last season.
Bates was also integral to Bengals’ Super Bowl run in 2021. He had two interceptions during their playoff run, recording one in the AFC Divisional Round win over the Titans and another in the Super Bowl against the Rams.
Jordan Poyer
The 10-year veteran has played a vital role in the Bills’ resurgence over the last few seasons, but his time in Buffalo might end this offseason as he’ll become a free agent.
Poyer’s arguably been one of the best safeties in football over the last few seasons, too. He recorded four interceptions in 2022, earning him a Pro Bowl nod, and had five interceptions in 2021, earning him a first-team All-Pro nod as the Bills had the best defense by yards allowed that season.
Poyer’s also been a very active tackler. He recorded at least 100 tackles in each season from 2018-20. He had 95 combined tackles in 2021 and 63 combined tackles in 12 games this past season.
The only issue is that Poyer will turn 32 in April, likely making him just an interim replacement for McCourty.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson
The Eagles’ defensive back is another option that brings a lot of versatility to the table.
Gardner-Johnson has played both slot corner and safety over his career, moving from corner to safety when he was traded to the Eagles prior to the 2022 season.
Gardner-Johnson played well in his first full season at safety, recording 56 tackles, a sack, and a league-high six interceptions. He played a bit at both safety spots as PFF credited Gardner-Johnson for 393 snaps at free safety this season despite listing him as the Eagles’ strong safety for five games this season.
He also picked the right time to have a career year, as he’ll be a free agent this offseason.
Juan Thornhill
Another Super Bowl LVII participant could be in the mix to replace McCourty.
Thornhill had a career year in 2022, recording career bests in combined tackles (71) and tackles for loss (four).
Thornhill also had three interceptions as opposing quarterbacks completed 24 of 38 passes for 244 yards with four touchdowns and an 83.7 passer rating when targeting him.
The 27-year-old has been as dependable as they come, too. He’s missed just one game over his four-year career, recording over 1,000 snaps this past season and at least 850 snaps in three of his first four seasons in the league.
Unlike Gardner-Johnson, Thornhill’s primarily played free safety over his four-year career, so he could be a more natural fit for New England.
Duron Harmon
Another possibility could be to bring back an old face.
Harmon, a former Patriot and Rutgers alum, arguably just had the best season of his 10-year career in 2022. Playing with the Raiders, Harmon recorded a career-high 86 combined tackles with two interceptions and didn’t allow a touchdown on 25 targets.
Harmon has actually played more over the last few seasons than he did at any point over his seven years in New England. He’s recorded at least 1,000 snaps in each of the last three seasons, proving himself to be durable as he’s gotten older.
At 32, Harmon would likely be the cheapest option of the group and already has familiarity with the Patriots. So, it could be a possible match.
The draft
Adding a veteran isn’t the only way the Patriots can replace McCourty.
The only issue with adding safety in the draft is that this isn’t a highly-regarded group of safety prospects entering the 2023 NFL Draft. Alabama’s Brian Branch is the only safety ranked in NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah’s top 50 prospect list and is the only safety included in the first round of many experts’ mock drafts.
Branch also doubles as a corner, playing nickel corner at Alabama. NFL Network’s Lance Zierlien believes Branch could play safety well in the NFL as he has the “ability” to cover slot receivers and bigger receivers, such as tight ends.
While this year’s draft class doesn’t have many first-round safeties, it’s viewed as a deep cornerback class. Many experts have had the Patriots selecting one of Devon Witherspoon, Christian Gonzalez, or Joey Porter Jr. with their first-round pick at No. 14. So, if they do that, they could shift one of Jones or Mills to safety.
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