FOXBOROUGH — Despite free agency defections that included Darrelle Revis, Vince Wilfork, Brandon Browner and Kyle Arrington, the argument can be made that the 2015 Patriots defense is better than the Super Bowl-winning unit from a year ago.
A big reason: the emergence of young cornerbacks Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan, one of whom earned high praise from Jets coach Todd Bowles on Tuesday's conference call.
"Malcolm is probably one of the best in the league," Bowles said. "He shows up. He takes the best (wide receiver). They can play man. They can play zone. They're big, they're physical, they can tackle.