The New England Patriots defense has to deal with Devin McCourty, Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins, Elandon Roberts, and Shilique Calhoun (to name a few) all becoming unrestricted free agents this spring. All of those players – particularly the first two – are key contributors to this unit, and any one of them moving on would represent a significant loss for the Pats.
That said, considering just how many players are hitting free agency in April, moving forward the defense should remain pretty intact. The Patriots have a strong front unit still under contract with Lawrence Guy, Deatrich Wise, Derek Rivers, Chase Winovich, John Simon, Derek Rivers, Ja’Whaun Bentley, and of course Dont’a Hightower holding down the first seven positions in the middle of their defense.