The New England Patriots defense was dealt another crushing blow on Monday.
Multiple reports indicate starting linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley will miss the rest of the season after suffering an injury during Sunday’s home loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Let’s go over the details and what Bentley’s injury means for the Patriots moving forward.
Patriots Captain Ja’Whaun Bentley Reportedly Done for Season
Bentley will miss the rest of the 2024 season due to a torn pectoral muscle, as first reported by NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport. Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald confirmed the report, as did ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
Here’s a video of the play that ended Bentley’s season:
This looks like the play in which LB Ja’Whaun Bentley (8) injured his shoulder. Engaged with RG Anthony Bradford, wrestles him down with left arm, and then reaches up to left shoulder and flexes it out.
Played one snap after this play and didn’t return. pic.twitter.com/VGr08TExct
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) September 16, 2024
A four-time captain, Bentley is one of New England’s top defenders and one of the most respected leaders in the locker room. He led the Patriots in tackles in each of the last three seasons, eclipsing 100 tackles in each campaign.
Bentley’s 2024 season ends with 12 sacks, a half-sack, and one quarterback hit.
The Patriots defense already was without arguably its best player, defensive tackle Christian Barmore, who could miss the entire season due to blood clots. And New England traded its top edge rusher, Matthew Judon, in a late-summer deal with the Atlanta Falcons. Now they’re without their best run-stuffing linebacker.
The Patriots have solid linebackers who can pick up the slack, but none are as impactful as Bentley, who wore the green dot as the play-caller on the front seven.
How Can the Patriots Replace Bentley?
The Patriots have four traditional linebackers left on their active roster: Jahlani Tavai, Raekwon McMillan, Christian Elliss, and Curtis Jacobs. But can any fill the void at middle linebacker?
Tavai is best used as a Swiss-Army-Knife outside linebacker. Elliss is a primary special-teamer who probably shouldn’t see meaningful snaps on defense. Jacobs was claimed off waivers after roster cutdowns and was inactive the first two weeks, so it’s hard to see him being a factor.
That leaves McMillan, who saw 41 snaps on Sunday after Bentley left the game. McMillan missed all of the 2021 and 2023 seasons due to injuries and saw minimal snaps in 2022. He’s a physical, hard-nosed player loved by coaches and teammates, but he doesn’t have the upside of Bentley.
Nevertheless, McMillan now is primed for his biggest role since first joining the Patriots in 2021. Let’s see what he can do.
Another play to keep an eye on: Sione Takitaki, who signed with the Patriots in free agency.
The former Cleveland Brown, who underwent a minor knee procedure during the offseason, is out through at least Week 4 while on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. He ramped up his activity late in training camp, so it’s reasonable to assume he’ll be ready to practice after Week 4 — but that’s just speculation.
Takitaki primarily worked as an outside/weak-side linebacker during his first four seasons with the Browns. But he saw a significant uptick in middle-linebacker snaps in 2023 and enjoyed his most productive season as a pro.
In 15 games, Takitaki racked up 65 tackles, including two sacks, three pass breakups, and one interception. He’s a good player, but it’s fair to wonder how impactful he’ll be after sitting out all of training camp.
No matter how you slice it, the Patriots are a worse team with Bentley out of the picture. Jerod Mayo and company can only hope one of their depth pieces emerges as a starting-caliber middle linebacker.