Perhaps a return to New England will yield rejuvenation for one of the Patriots' most important defensive players.
After three-plus solid seasons in Foxboro, Kyle Van Noy cashed in on a four-year free-agent deal with the Dolphins last year. But the veteran linebacker's Miami tenure proved to be a short one, as he was released by the Fins at the turn of the new league year.
In a column published Wednesday to ESPN.com, the folks at Pro Football Focus tried to break down what went wrong for Van Noy in South Beach.
"Van Noy had a late-career emergence in 2019 with New England thanks to a tweak in his role," PFF wrote. "He began his career as an off-ball linebacker before transitioning to a hybrid role, but Bill Belichick & Co. made Van Noy more of a pure edge rusher. That season, he ended up with an 84.2 PFF grade that was over 13 points higher than his previous career high. Van Noy left New England to join forces with former Patriots defensive coordinator Brian Flores in Miami, but he was asked to go back to a hybrid job.
"To no surprise, his overall play declined because his coverage prowess is a shaky aspect of his game. Van Noy found his way back to the Patriots after the Dolphins released him in the offseason. As long as he is used in the same manner as he was in 2019, a bounce back should be in order."
Patriots reporter Mike Reiss followed up with reasons to be optimistic about Van Noy returning to his former self.
"Van Noy has been playing opposite of big-bucks free-agent signing Matt Judon at outside linebacker, and he seems highly motivated after having his tenure with the Dolphins end much earlier than expected, after one year," Reiss wrote. "'I ask Kyle questions all the time,' Judon said. Van Noy's experience in the Patriots' culture, and defensive system, has positioned him as one of the go-to guys for a front-7 that has dramatically upgraded its talent."
Van Noy and the Patriots' next tune-up for the regular season will come Thursday night when they visit the Philadelphia Eagles for an exhibition matchup.
