The New England Patriots' biggest issue for much of the 2017 season was their inability to get pressure on the opposing quarterback.
Sure, the Pats wound up with 42 sacks on the season, but they also spent most of the year playing with a lead, so their opponents threw the ball more often. More concerning was the fact that the Pats got pressure on just 32.5 percent of opponent dropbacks, a below-average rate compared to the rest of the league. Even sending an extra rusher didn't help much, as they got pressure on only 34.5 percent of dropbacks when using five rushers, per Pro Football Focus.
The Pats have been relatively quiet in the early days of free agency, as usual, but on Friday they made a move to bolster their lagging pass-rush. According to a report from ESPN.com's Adam Schefter, the Pats are signing former Falcons defensive lineman Adrian Clayborn.
Patriots reached agreement with former Falcons’ DE Adrian Clayborn, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 16, 2018
Terms of the deal were not immediately available.
Clayborn is not some elite pass rusher, but he did have a six-sack game against the Dallas Cowboys last season. He absolutely destroyed Chaz Green in that game and completely demolished the Cowboys' offense pretty much on his own.
Even aside from that one dominant game, Clayborn did have a solid season. He ranked 16th among 4-3 defensive ends with 54 quarterback pressures, per PFF, racking up four sacks and 35 quarterback hits in games not against the Cowboys. That's solid for a situational rushman, and the Pats can use all the help up front they can get. Knowing Bill Belichick, he'll figure out a way to scheme Clayborn into success.
