The New England Patriots lost one of their most important pieces.
Veteran linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley suffered a torn pectoral in the loss vs. the Seattle Seahawks, and he’ll be placed on the Injured Reserve (IR) list.
The team needed to find a new defensive captain, and HC Jerod Mayo just announced Bentley’s replacement.
For the first time in his career, safety Kyler Dugger will be a captain.
Head Coach Jerod Mayo officially announces @KingDugg_3 as a captain. pic.twitter.com/deP1vartVn
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 25, 2024
The 28-year-old was taken by the Patriots with the No. 37 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Thus far, he’s made 55 starts for the Patriots, logging 361 tackles, 9 interceptions, 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and two touchdowns.
A standout at Lenoir-Rhyme, he’ll join QB Jacoby Brissett, C David Andrews, DE Deatrich Wise Jr., S Jabrill Peppers, and LS Joe Cardona as captains.
As for Bentley, his loss will be a big blow.
He was coming off playing a career-high 91% of the defensive snaps last season.
Since entering the league in 2018, he’s made 68 starts in the league, logging 509 tackles, 10.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and two interceptions.
It’ll take a team effort from Dugger and the rest of the defense to pick up the slack and make up for that kind of production, as the Patriots won’t do a lot of harm on the other side of the field.
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