In Ja’Whaun Bentley’s first two seasons with the Patriots, there were enough veteran linebackers on hand that he was able to learn from them while playing a reserve role.
Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins were two of those veterans and Bentley said it was “beneficial” to see how they handled things in New England. Both players departed as free agents this offseason, however, and that creates a chance for Bentley to do more than grab a spot in the rotation.
Bentley told reporters this week that his time observing has given him a better understanding of what it takes to do that.
“I would say knowledge. Knowledge of the game and being able to be on the field and kind of be able to direct traffic a little bit more,” Bentley said, via the Providence Journal. “Coming from college to the pros, you surround yourself with great veterans, which we have in our organization, so it was a huge opportunity to learn from those guys and kind of implement what you’ve been learning and add it to your game. I feel like year one to year two, took some good steps, but year three, you also want to take those progressive steps and take your game to the next level.”
Bentley had 44 tackles while appearing in every game and playing 27 percent of the defensive snaps last season.