Jerod Mayo Challenges Patriots Rookie After Matthew Judon Injury

Matthew Judon reportedly hopes to return some this season, but the reality is his torn biceps might cause him to miss the rest of the 2023 Patriots campaign.

Obviously, losing Judon is a crushing blow to New England’s defense. The star edge rusher led the Patriots in sacks each of the last two seasons and posted four more before suffering his injury.

The good news is New England has enviable depth at the second level of the defense. So much depth, in fact, that linebackers coach Jerod Mayo believes the Patriots aren’t in dire straights with Judon set to miss extended time.

“It’s not gonna be just one guy,” Mayo told reporters during a Tuesday video call. “It’s gonna be multiple guys trying to fill that role. We’ll see what happens, we’ll see if he comes back. But in the meantime, feel pretty confident about the guys that are on the roster.”

Linebackers Anfernee Jennings and Josh Uche likely will see an uptick in usage. And rookie safety/hybrid Marte Mapu also might see more pass-rushing opportunities.

But Mayo put the spotlight on one player in particular: rookie defensive end Keion White.

“Keion — he’s gonna play more,” Mayo said. “He’s gonna play more. Simply said. And we really need him to show up.”

White, a second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, has the ability to be a dominant force for the Patriots. He was unstoppable at times during training camp and the preseason and acquitted himself well in his first four regular season contests.

White saw at least 29% of defensive snaps in all four games, including a season-high 29% in Sunday’s road loss to the Dallas Cowboys. And while his traditional stats don’t jump off the page — zero sacks and one tackle — he registered six quarterback pressures over the first four weeks, per Pro Football Focus. In fact, White currently ranks as PFF’s 41st-ranked edge rusher despite limited playing time.

The Georgia product’s Tech’s size, athleticism and tenacity stand out whenever he’s on the field. And the fact he’s seen respectable playing time as a rookie in a Bill Belichick defense proves how much Patriots coaches believe in him.

On the surface, White might not seem like a 1-for-1 Judon replacement. At 6-foot-5 and 290 pounds, he’s built more like a traditional defensive end. But make no mistake: The versatile rookie has the ability to stand up and rush from the outside, and also can hold his own in coverage.

“Every week we try to put a little bit more on his plate,” Mayo said. “He’s one of these guys who he kinda doesn’t fit in any mold like the (Deatrich) Wise category or the Judon category. He can kinda do both to a certain extent. He’s doing well.”

In a perfect world, White wouldn’t be thrust into a heavy role this early in his career. But the situation now might call for his Patriots breakout to arrive earlier than expected.