What It Means:

Even though Easley has ended each of his first two seasons on injured reserve, he's flashed big-time ability in his 22 games played since being the 29th pick in the 2014 draft. New England coach Bill Belichick spent much of last summer talking up Easley. Knee problems ended his final season at Florida early and hampered him as a rookie. His 2015 season was cut short in December with a torn quad. The Boston Herald's Jeff Howe reports Easley's knees "are in pretty bad shape, and there's not a lot of room for improvement."

Easley turns 24 later this month. New England finished 12th in Adjusted Defensive Net Expected Points per play in 2015.