The New England Patriots‘ pass rush lost a strong veteran presence, and its best player at the position after trading Pro Bowler Matthew Judon to the Atlanta Falcons.
Judon is looking to prove he can stay healthy, and return to form as one of the more prolific edge rushers in the sport, now playing opposite Grady Jarrett along the Falcons’ front-seven.
For Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo, life without Judon is simply business as usual in New England.
“We’ve gone years without having a premier rusher – Chandler Jones, the Judons of the world,” Mayo told reporters following the Patriots’ preseason loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. “But we were able to manufacture pass rush through our stunts and games and our game planning,” said Mayo about life post-Judon. “Look, it’s not going to be one person. It’s hard to sit here and say one person can replace Matthew Judon, both on the field and off the field. But I think we have a good group ready to go and step into those shoes.”
Before being traded to the potential NFC South frontrunners, Judon had spent the past three seasons in a Patriots uniform, logging 32 of his 66.5 career sacks.
Mayo had a front-row seat to Judon’s production, spending the past four seasons as the Patriots’ linebackers coach, which makes the loss of the stalwart veteran defender cut far deeper than his production between the lines.
“You guys know how I feel about Judon, and obviously he’s moving on,” Mayo said. “I felt like it’s a win-win for both parties, and I wish him nothing but the best. I always tell the guys these are long-term relationships, and nothing’s changed.”
Through his first eight seasons, Judon has logged 66.5 sacks and 369 total tackles, he’ll now play a pivotal role in the Falcons’ rebuild on defense.
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