Remember back when J.C. Jackson felt as though he wasn't wanted in New England, signed with the Chargers and seemed to leave the Patriots without a true No. 1 corner? The thinking at the time, if you'll recall, was that the Patriots would have to change who they are defensively. Drastically.
No Jackson. No Stephon Gilmore. No Darrelle Revis. No Aqib Talib. Nothing on the roster resembling any of those high-level cover men.
There was no way they'd be able to continue to play man-to-man at a clip that ranked them among the most man-to-man heavy teams in football, which they had been since 2018 .