LB Ja’Whaun Bentley ― No. 51

Rookie linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley made a strong first impression in his Patriots preseason debut and he’ll look to continue that success in Week 2.

Bentley played 32 snaps (53%) in Thursday’s win over Washington and co-led the Patriots with six combined tackles. He played a mix of inside and outside linebacker, defending against the run, dropping into coverage against the pass, and occasionally rushing the quarterback. His biggest play of the night came shortly after the two-minute warning when he stuffed Redskins running back Byron Marshall for a three-yard loss.

It’s encouraging to see Bentley get off to a good start in the preseason. The linebacker position was an area of need for New England last season and they did a good job addressing the group this offseason.

It will be interesting to see how Bentley performs in pass coverage going forward and if he can edge out Elandon Roberts as the Patriots’ starting inside linebacker. Roberts struggled in coverage at times last season, and Bentley could prove to be the better option in passing situations.

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