Patriots’ Matthew Judon drops honest take on Jerod Mayo replacing Bill Belichick

You can count Matthew Judon as one of the several New England Patriots players who approve of Jerod Mayo’s promotion to head coach in the aftermath of Bill Belichick’s departure.

Speaking to WEEI as he celebrated the opening of his restaurant in Dallas, Judon shared his excitement for the Patriots’ defense this upcoming season with Mayo at the helm.

“You know, I think our defense had a lot of good moments throughout the season,” Judon told WEEI. “And I think Mayo is going to be an amazing head coach for us, help us out, and try to right the ship.”

The Patriots’ defense was the lone bright spot in what was otherwise a miserable season for the team in 2023. They ranked seventh in yards allowed (301.6 per game) and were fourth in rushing defense (93.2 rushing yards allowed per game).

While Judon was sidelined for all but four games due to a torn bicep, Mayo helped the defense perform as well as it did as he was in his fifth season as their linebackers coach. Even though Bill Belichick is gone, Mayo’s elevation to head coach has allowed the Patriots to keep many key pieces on defense in place. DeMarcus Covington was promoted to defensive coordinator while the team re-signed edge rushers Josh Uche and Anferenee Jennings.

Judon was excited that the team was able to retain the aforementioned edge rushers.

“It’s new. Everything’s new,” Judon said. “But I’m glad we’ve got a lot of old faces coming. Uche and Ant (Anfernee Jennings), they came out for the opening [of the restaurant], and those guys are like my brothers so I’m very happy that they’re coming back.”

Both Uche and Jennings re-signed with the Patriots this offseason on relatively modest deals following the completion of their rookie contracts. Uche only signed on a one-year, $3 million in hopes of receiving a bigger contract next offseason while Jennings got a three-year $12 million deal.

Following a breakout season in 2022, Uche struggled to get as many sacks in 2023, recording three sacks. Jennings played well in Judon’s absence, recording 66 total tackles and 1.5 sacks as he helped seal the edge on run defense.

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