FOXBOROUGH – One of the biggest developments this summer has been with free-agent pickup K’Lavon Chaisson.
The veteran pass rusher signed a 1-year deal with the Patriots in free agency. At the start of the offseason, Chaisson looked like a situational pass rusher. Now, he looks like a starter in Mike Vrabel’s defense.
This week, Chaisson has been starting opposite Harold Landry in the Patriots’ top defensive unit. That spot had previously been occupied by Keion White. On Tuesday, before practice, outside linebackers coach Mike Smith said Chaisson has been practicing with a chip on his shoulder.
“The thing about KC is he’s smart. He’s a vet. He’s seen it. Loves the game of football. The way he works, the way he prepares,” Smith said. “He’s one of these guys that you talk about stuff, and he gets it pretty quick. A lot of these guys you get in free agency on 1-year deals, and they’ve got something to prove. I think he’s got a chip on his shoulder, and he’s got something to prove – getting a home and being somewhere is a big thing for him. He’s playing well.”
A first-round pick by Jacksonville in 2020, Chaisson amassed five sacks in four seasons with the Jaguars. Last season, he started on the practice squad in Las Vegas before finishing the 2024 regular season with five sacks in the final six games.
Smith compared finding Chaisson to when he was in Green Bay and the Packers signed Za’Darius Smith, who was previously a situational pass rusher in Baltimore. With the Packers, Smith made two Pro Bowls and finished with 26 sacks in two seasons while being coached by the Patriots’ current outside linebackers coach.
This offseason, when Smith was studying free agents, he said he noticed that Chaisson used more power rush moves with the Raiders than he did in his previous four years in Jacksonville.
“I like finding those free agent guys – Za’Darius when he was in Baltimore. Maybe he didn’t play as much,” Smith said. “… I saw that. I saw the athleticism. I saw how he plays. How physical he is. We get guys to sit – how violent we play, there’s nothing pretty about pass rush. Nothing pretty about it. Watch Max Crosby. Watch Nick Bosa. Watch Za’Darius, any of these guys. They’re violent human beings. Just building stuff off that. You can put the tape on and see how athletic he is. You can find some gold, some guys like that in free agency that can help.”
