When the New England Patriots training camp opened in July of 2010 both Ty Warren and Leigh Bodden were penciled in to make major impacts on a defense that was just beginning a major rebuild.
Both were lost for the season shortly thereafter, and things looked pretty bleak in terms of replacing either of them. Warren was the only truly experienced defensive end in the Patriots system, and Bodden was the team’s best cornerback having just signed a new contract with the Pats worth $22 million over 4 years, with $10 million guaranteed.
Most teams that lose their best cornerback and their best defensive end would be majorly screwed, especially when they’re forced to go with the most inexperienced secondary in the NFL. But of course the Pats just do what they do and kept on winning.
So now on paper it would seem like the Patriots would receive a major boost by getting these two players back, but strangely there’s a sense of pessimism surrounding both.
Just today ProFootballTalk, the bastion of credible journalism, had this to say about Warren:
There has been some speculation that Ty Warren could be on the roster bubble as well if he doesn’t have a strong training camp.
Warren just turned 30 this month, and while he was battling injuries in 2008 and 2009 as well, I think it’s a stretch to think he’s over the hill as a player. A year away from the pounding of the NFL could be just what Warren needs to return to the force he was when he was healthy.
There’s no question that the pressure is on Warren to prove he deserved the five year extension he signed in 2007 with $18 million guaranteed, but given the Patriots depth along the defensive line I’d consider it an extreme long shot for him to be cut.
It’s even harder to project him being cut when you consider there’s no sense of what the salary cap will be once a new CBA is hammered out. Regardless the Patriots are loaded with cap friendly draftees, so I don’t see his $3.1 million cap hit to be a major issue.
As for Bodden it’s not like the guy is coming off major knee surgery or anything. And just today he said:
“The rehab is great, my arm feels great,” Bodden told hosts Bob Papa and Ross Tucker. “I was thinking to myself the other day, ‘Man, I’m ready for some action. I’m ready to play.‘”
So on that front I don’t see how we don’t immediately pencil in Bodden as starting RCB across from McCourty. Of course Kyle Arrington emerged as a viable option and should not be written off if Bodden has lost anything.
Both players will be rusty but color me still extremely optimistic that their return will have major impacts both on and off the field.