Jerod Mayo Believes Ja’Whaun Bentley Will Be A Defensive ‘Cornerstone’ For New England Patriots

Although Ja’Whaun Bentley no longer wears No. 51, the resemblance to a New England Patriots predecessor has continued in No. 8.

That predecessor is his inside linebackers coach, who believes the first three-time captain in Purdue Boilermakers history will be in the middle of where New England’s defense goes from here.

“I mean, you saw the season that he put together last year,” Jerod Mayo told reporters at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday. “And I would say, you know, a player who is very smart. I mean, he knows the entire defense. He’s fast, he’s big, he’s strong at the point of attack. He’s just a great player.”

Chosen in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft, Bentley’s rookie season ended on injured reserve after two starts due to a torn bicep. Two starts followed in 2019 before the Super Bowl LIII champion was voted a captain in advance of 2020 and again in 2022. Over the past three campaigns, he has twice led the Patriots in tackles and started each of his 46 appearances.

Bentley totaled a career-high 125 tackles last fall to go with three sacks, one fumble recovery and his second interception since entering the league. Through all 17 games, he stayed on the field for 80.2% of the defensive snaps.

Only safety Devin McCourty, a three-time Super Bowl champion, franchise All-Decade selection and captain since 2011, stayed in for more before announcing his retirement in March.

There will be no one-for-one replacement. But Bentley, at a listed 6-foot-2, 244 pounds, projects to play a part even while playing a different position.

“I would say he’s always had great leadership skills,” said Mayo, the 2008 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year whose time as a New England captain spanned seven consecutive seasons as well as Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors. “And obviously with the loss of Devin — I know coach [Bill Belichick] said it’s going to take multiple people. But what I will say is that Bentley will be a huge cornerstone to that rebuild.”

The Patriots retained Bentley on a two-year, $6 million contract worth up to $9 million in free agency last offseason. The agreement featured $3.9 million in guarantees. It now features an upcoming cap number of $5.05 million for 2023, according to OverTheCap.com.

His tenure has previously brought reps with the green dot on the back of his helmet.

“You can talk to the front and you can also talk to the backend,” Mayo, 37, said of relaying communication at the second level versus the third level of the defense. “Sometimes when you’re at the backend, you can’t really talk to the front. And that’s why even though Devin made a lot of calls, the linebackers made a lot of calls up front.”

Set to turn 27 in August, Bentley is currently joined on New England’s off-the-ball linebacker depth chart by Jahlani Tavai, Raekwon McMillan, Mack Wilson, Chris Board along with futures signings Olakunle Fatukasi, Calvin Munson and Terez Hall.

“At the end of the day, like, your peers have to have confidence in you,” added Mayo, who enters his fifth season on the Patriots’ staff. “They have to know that you’re competent enough to go out there and make the right calls. You show those things through being on the field together. You show those things through watching film together.”