The New England Patriots have lost a couple of their linebackers in free agency and they're hoping their new addition can help replace them. According to the Boston Globe's Jim McBride, New England has signed linebacker Brandon Copeland.

Besides the shocking loss of Brady, the Patriots lost quite a few marquee players on defense in free agency. At the linebacker position alone, New England has watched Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins, and Elandon Roberts sign elsewhere.

As for Copeland, he has spent the past two seasons with the New York Jets. Therefore, due to facing the Jets twice a year, the Patriots are somewhat aware of what Copeland can bring to a team.

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In his two seasons with the Jets, Copeland started in 13 games and was active for 28 games. Over the course of those two seasons, the Baltimore native tallied a total of 77 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and four pass breakups. The reason why Bill Belichick was likely interested in Copeland was due to the fact he showed some potential as a blitzer in 2018.

Seeing that Van Noy and Collins are now gone, the Patriots are in need of linebackers that are versatile. Just this past season, Van Noy and Collins combined for 13.5 sacks for New England.

Throughout his legendary career, Belichick likens to linebackers that can play close to the line of scrimmage. Given that, Copeland should be prepared to be used in a multitude of ways. The signing of Copeland seems like one of those under-the-radar moves that works to perfection for Belichick.