In Wednesday’s Journal Tribune, we took a look at the New England Patriots offense heading into the 2016 season. As usual, the Patriots enter the 2016 campaign with one of the league’s top offenses, at least on paper, and should be an offense-driven team.

Having said that, the New England defense also looks dangerous, and should be a great complement to Tom Brady and company. Here is the 2016 New England Patriots defensive outlook.

Defensive Line

Perhaps the most stacked position group on the team, the Patriots’ defensive line is poised to compete with any defensive line as the best in the league. The Patriots let Sealiver Siliga, Akiem Hicks and Chris Jones walk, and also released 2014 first-round draft pick Dominique Easley. Despite the large overhaul, the Patriots still return 2015 first round pick Malcom Brown, along with Alan Branch. The Patriots also added Terrance Knighton via free agency and drafted Vincent Valentine out of Nebraska.

The deepest position group on the team is the defense ends. Despite trading the team’s top pass-rusher in Chandler Jones to Arizona, the Patriots have one of the deepest and most talented groups of ends in the league. New England returns Rob Ninkovich and Jabaal Sheard, as well as 2015 draft picks Trey Flowers and Geneo Grissom. They also added veteran Chris Long to the mix.

Considering the depth on the entire defensive line, the Patriots should field a team that can rush the passer, stop the run as well as drop back to cover when needed. Although the defense as a whole looks to be impressive, the line is without a doubt the strongest aspect of the group.

Linebackers

The Patriots return one of the league’s elite linebacker duos in Jamie Collins and Dont’a Hightower. These two playmakers alone are enough to anchor any linebacker core, but the Patriots also have Jonathan Freeney returning, and added Shea McClellin from Chicago. Both Collins and Hightower are entering contract years, so they should once again provide the Patriots with top-notch linebacker play. Mclellin is also looking to prove his worth, considering the former first round pick never lived up to expectations in his four years in Chicago. The Patriots play plenty of nickel and dime packages, so the need for three great linebackers is minimized. That said, having four linebackers will not be an issue, especially when the top two are Pro Bowl-caliber.

Secondary

The Patriots faced a number of questions heading into 2015 regarding the secondary, with the main question being: Which two players, if any, would emerge as starting-caliber cornerbacks. Sure enough, second-year upstart Malcolm Butler answered the call and had a Pro Bowl season, along with Logan Ryan, who proved to be a solid starter of the other side. Between the two cornerbacks, as well as captain Devin McCourty and veteran Patrick Chung, this secondary should have another strong season. Behind the aforementioned starters are guys like Duron Harmon, Justin Coleman, and newly drafted Cyrus Jones out of Alabama.

Although the starting four look solid, the bench is relatively unproven. Coleman was inconsistent last year, Darryl Roberts missed last season due to injury, and Jordan Richards did not develop as fast as hoped. The secondary will by no means be a weakness, but the depth pieces will need to step it up in order for the secondary to shine.

Overall

This defense should improve over last season when considering the young, developing talent along with the handful of new acquisitions. The front seven will likely be the calling card, with the secondary being the complement. Will this be a top-5 defense? Probably not. Will it be a top-10 defense? Probably yes.

— Sports Staff Writer Alex Sponseller can be reached at [email protected] or at 282-1535 ext. 323. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.