Keion White, a second-year defender for the New England Patriots, does not consider himself the most likely candidate to fill the vacuum left by recently traded edge rusher Matthew Judon.
Speaking with NESN’s Sean T. McGuire following the Patriots’ preseason loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night, White mentioned Joshua Uche and Oshane Ximenes as two edge rushers he believes will help replace Judon.
Last Thursday, New England traded Judon to the Atlanta Falcons for a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
In the most recent episode of NESN’s “Foxboro Rush” podcast, McGuire discussed what he learned from his conversation with White.
“The whole outside perception now is what you’re talking about, and kind of what I thought too, is that Keion White is going to be such a key factor in replacing Judon off the edge,” McGuire said co-host George Balekji. “He (White) does not think about it that way. He said, ‘My preference is to be the interior rusher.’ Keion White believes he is faster on the interior and slower on the edge, therefore when it comes to obvious passing downs, third-and-longs, and other situations, he would rather be on the interior than on the edge.
White began Thursday’s preseason game on the edge against Anfernee Jennings, who has distinguished out in the run game. Deatrich Wise and Uche were the two edge rushers who onto the field on Philadelphia’s first third down, while White shifted to the inside.
