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The journey for the 20th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft has been a gradual one.
Yet, in the crisp autumn air of Foxborough, K’Lavon Chaisson has emerged as a force to be reckoned with. Once a standout at LSU and now a seasoned pro, Chaisson is finally living up to the promise that surrounded his early career.
In his first four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Chaisson recorded just five sacks. However, last season, after transitioning from the practice squad to the active roster with the Las Vegas Raiders, he matched that sack total and added an interception to his stats. Between these stints, he had a brief tenure with the Carolina Panthers, which concluded with his release after training camp.
In March, Chaisson inked a one-year deal with the New England Patriots as an unrestricted free agent, potentially earning up to $5 million. According to Over The Cap, the contract includes a base salary of $1.4 million and a cap hit of $3.94 million.
This investment has been fruitful. Through eight games, Chaisson is tied with fellow linebacker Harold Landry III for the team lead in sacks, boasting a personal best of 5.5 sacks this season.
His impact isn’t solely measured in numbers; his presence was notably felt in the matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.
But disruption has multiple forms. It did against the Atlanta Falcons.
“It’s always like a hard balance to try to find between the two, because you want the numbers and you want the sacks, for sure,” Chaisson told reporters during his Monday press conference at Gillette Stadium. “But we found a way to affect the quarterback whichever way we can. The intentional groundings, man, we had a safety last week. Just getting the ball out, causing a lot of quick throws and havoc up front to wherever it is. Get an extra clutch or cause some type of disruption within routes to QB timing.”
The latest sack hit home during Sunday’s 24-23 win versus sophomore quarterback Michael Penix Jr. It would be the lone sack of the afternoon for the 7-2 Patriots. A forced fumble was part of it.
“Everything matters, obviously, when it comes to getting to the quarterback,” Chaisson said. “But I can tell you that this front is still hungry and we know that we’re capable of much more than what we’ve put on film.”
New England’s defense stands with 11 takeaways this season. The unit has conceded 299 yards of offense and 18.8 points per game to opponents. No running back has rushed for 50 yards along the way, either. That held true on Sunday against Bijan Robinson.
No. 44 had a hand in why, bringing down the reigning Pro Bowler for a loss of five early on.
“We take pride in being a great run defense, for sure, but we don’t really mention much about stats and or what the running back averages against us,” Chaisson said. “It’s a dope stat to have, for sure, man. Once again, like I was speaking about yesterday postgame, I think it’s the mentality that we carry within the defense, man. Just continue to be stout in the run game, be gap sound, and put ourselves in position to where we can pin our ears back and get after the quarterback.”
Chaisson sits tied for career highs with seven tackles for loss as well as nine credited quarterback hits. It’s been complementary football. And it hasn’t hurt having Milton Williams and Christian Barmore on the interior, Robert Spillane off the ball, and the likes of Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, Marcus Jones, Jaylinn Hawkins and Craig Woodson in the secondary.
“I mean, it definitely helps playing with the guys I play with, for sure,” added Chaisson. “Got some exceptional defensive backs, exceptional guys on the inside – Milton, Christian – and Harold on the opposite end getting to the quarterback. Everybody is kind of making sure they’re winning their one-on-ones and dominating in their role in the game. I think it makes everybody’s job a bit more easy, especially when you can just focus on winning your one-on-one battle. Credit to everybody that’s on the field within.”
Chaisson has seen 60% of the defensive snaps during his stay despite missing one game due to a knee injury. For the first time, the 26-year-old was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week in October. Against head coach Mike Vrabel’s former Tennessee Titans, he became the first player around the NFL to tally two sacks and a fumble recovery for a touchdown in a game since 2019.
There’s more to build toward. From his view, that process began during organized team activities in the spring.
“We continue to build that chemistry and that ground and kind of see how we want to get to the quarterback and how we are willing to rush as a unit rather than doing individual pass rush,” Chaisson said. “It’s been dope. It’s been dope to have a season like this, for sure, but I give a lot of credit to everybody that’s on the field with me.”
