The primary pieces of the New England Patriots are slowly falling one by one upon the looming return of the upcoming 2020 NFL season. Safety Patrick Chung is among the latest to pull out of playing football because of his newborn child and fear for the dreaded coronavirus pandemic.
ESPN NFL reporter Mike Reiss disclosed the developing news on Twitter:
Patriots safety Patrick Chung tells me that he plans to opt out of the 2020 season. He is the sixth Patriots player to do so.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) July 28, 2020
Chung joins linebacker Dont'a Hightower, tackle Marcus Cannon, guard Najee Toran, fullback Danny Vitale and running back Brandon Bolden as the players who recently begged off from playing.
The former Oregon duck is another steady veteran player who was drafted by the New England Patriots with the 34th pick in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He spent his first four seasons at Foxborough before having a cup of coffee in Philadelphia with the Eagles.
He had his homecoming back in 2014 and remained to be part of Bill Belichick's squad six seasons later. He was also a member of the Patriots' 2010s All-Decade Team and a three-time Super Bowl champion.
He recorded 38 solo tackles, 51 total tackles and three passes defended in 13 games played for the team last season. His level of productivity will be missed by the Patriots' defensive line for the upcoming season. 2018 Pro Bowler Adrian Phillips and veteran safety Terrence Brooks are still left in the team's strong safety room in lieu of Chung's absence.
2020 will be a challenging season with a majority of their defensive rotation out of the picture. The team's offensive line is also adjusting to a new quarterback at the helm potentially found in the 2015 NFL MVP Cam Newton. B
ill Belichick and the rest of his men will first go against the Miami Dolphins on September 13 at the Gilette Stadium.
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