On the Bubble: Patrick Chung will need to be special
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| Patrick Chung prepares to win a roster spot (US Presswire) |
Drafted 34th overall in 2009, Chung was supposed to come in and provide an athletic safety to the Patriots' struggling defensive secondary. At times he looked like a future star, but more often than not he was out of position and getting beat deep. He spent four years in Foxborough amassing 239 total tackles, seven INTs, and 19 passes defended according to ESPN. His first two years were his most successful due to playing the strong safety position alongside the likes of Brandon Meriweather, James Sanders, and Brandon McGowan. In this role, Chung was allowed to focus on stopping the run and waiting for a big hit, which he accomplished often.
Once Meriweather, Sanders, and McGowan left after the 2010 season, he was put into the free safety position where his skill set did not match up. The results were not pretty. He would be caught standing still while a receiver ran past him downfield, or be lining himself up for a big hit on a potential receiver while another ran through his zone.The secondary was at its weakest with the likes of James Ihedigbo, Darius Butler, and Terrence Wheatley, and a multitude of future career backups rounding out a defense that was one of the worst against the pass in the league. Chung was farthest from the worst player on defense, but he surely was not the greatest. Once his contract was up, Belichick allowed Chung to leave the team and join the Philadelphia Eagles. They thought he could play free safety too...they were wrong as well.
Fortunately for Patrick Chung, he will likely not be asked to play free safety, for that matter he might not be asked to play defense at all. I believe Chung has been brought back to provide primarily on special teams. He may be asked to spell Harmon at times, but if there was one thing Chung had a knack for it was special teams. Likely to pair up with Matthew Slater and others as a member of all four special teams units, Chung will be allowed to use his athleticism where he will be moving forwards instead of backpedaling in coverage.
Chung's contract is fairly reasonable with a cap charge of $1.04 million with a base salary of $740,000, a signing bonus of $60,000, a workout bonus of $60,000, and a roster bonus of $240,000 ($15,000 per game based on being on 46-man game day roster) according to Mike Reiss of ESPN. Being that it is higher than the minimum, it likely shows the Patriots anticipate him sticking around and contributing. Regardless of money, Chung will have to prove he is worth a roster spot over Tavon Wilson and Nate Ebner in order to make the team this year.
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Wonder what other players are in danger of being cut? Check out more of our On The Bubble series.
