One of the New England Patriots’ biggest issues over the last two years in particular was a general lack of blue-chip talent. There are some exceptions, though: Christian Gonzalez and Christian Barmore, for example, are among the best players the cornerback and defensive tackle positions have to offer, respectively.
Another player in that same category is Brenden Schooler, arguably the best special teamer in pro football right now.
Hard facts
Name: Brenden Schooler
Position: Safety/Special teamer
Jersey number:
41
Opening day age: 28 (5/30/1997)
Measurements: 6’1 5/8”, 210 lbs, 78 7/8” wingspan, 32 1/2” arm length, 8 1/2” hand size, 4.43s 40-yard dash, 6.71s 3-cone drill, 4.10s short shuttle, 37 1/2” vertical jump, 10’8” broad jump, 16 bench press reps, 9.76 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: New England Patriots (2022-) | College: Oregon (2016-19), Arizona (2020), Texas (2020-21)
A South California native, Schooler repeatedly changed high schools before his senior year at Mission Viejo in Mission Viejo, CA. In 2016, he joined the University of Oregon as a two-star wide receiver recruit and went on to spend four seasons with the Ducks. Playing on both sides of the ball as well as on special teams, he appeared in 41 games.
Schooler entered the transfer portal in 2020 and committed to Arizona to team up with his brother Colin. However, he left the school a short time later when the Covid-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the Pac-12 season. He moved to Texas, where he spent the final two seasons of his college career — the first one as a wideout, the second as a defensive back.
When Schooler made the move to the NFL in 2022, he did so with a combined 62 games and 31 starts on his résumé. He also had intercepted four passes, forced a fumble and caught 42 passes for 488 yards with four touchdowns.
Despite his versatility, experience and being recognized as a first-team All-Pac-12 special teamer twice (2017, 2018), Schooler did not hear his name called in the 2022 draft. Instead he joined the Patriots as a free agent.
Despite his lack of draft pedigree, he immediately established himself as a core player for the team in the game’s third phase. As a result, Schooler has played 1,115 special teams snaps over his 50 NFL games while leading the team with 36 tackles and a pair of blocks since his arrival. In 2024, he signed a three-year, $9 million contract extension and was both named first-team All-Pro and voted to his first Pro Bowl.
Scouting report
Strengths: As a size-speed athlete, Schooler is the total package. Standing at just under 6-foot-2 and weighing 210 pounds, he provides impressive length and reach as well as an an excellent athletic skillset. He is a strong linear athlete but also offers the burst and short-area quickness needed to fight his way downfield in kick coverage situations; Schooler is very good at shedding blocking attempts both due to his footwork and active hands at the point of attack.
2 minutes of Schooler forcing fair catches pic.twitter.com/q3NACiusYu
— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) January 2, 2025
Due to his get-off and his straight-line foot speed, Schooler is more often than not the first man to find his way to the returner and either make the tackle or disrupt any return lanes. In general, he is an able tackler with a proper wrap-up technique and advanced vision as well as a natural feel for attack angles; he is able to take down opposing returners even when approaching them at full speed and from the boundary.
Schooler furthermore has been praised for his leadership within the Patriots’ special teams operation. A high-energy presence whenever on the field — and he has been on the field a lot since joining the club — his tone-setting abilities extend from game day to practice; they also extended beyond the kicking game in 2024, when he showed his pass rush and blitz skills as a package defender.
Weaknesses: Schooler is a rather one-dimensional player even entering his fourth season as a pro, with his special teams contributions much more consistent than any role he carved out on defense. His play on that particular side of the ball, meanwhile, remains a work in progress and he still has to build confidence as a coverage defender in both man and zone calls. He also has been a relative non-factor versus the run so far in his admittedly short career on defense.
2024 review
Stats: 17 games (0 starts) | 50 defensive snaps (4.5%), 378 special teams snaps (86.5%) | 4 tackles, 0 missed tackles, 2 TFLs | 2 targets, 0 catches surrendered | 4 quarterback pressures (2 sacks, 1 hit, 1 hurry) | 9 special teams tackles, 3 missed tackles (25.0%), 1 blocked punt
Season recap: Through no action of his own, Schooler’s role with the Patriots changed during the 2024 offseason: longtime special teams captain and future Hall of Famer Matthew Slater decided to call it a career, leaving a massive void atop New England’s kicking game operation. That void was successfully filled by the then-third-year man.
Continuing his role as a five-unit special teamer, Schooler proved himself the unit’s emotional leader. Having Slater on staff may have helped with that, but the former UDFA himself also played his part through his high levels of energy as well as his ability to make positive plays.
Those included a team-leading nine tackles in the game’s third phase as well as a blocked punt in Week 5 versus the Miami Dolphins. His big plays played a big part in Schooler being voted to his first Pro Bowl as well as the first All-Pro team at the end of the season.
Highlights from ST Brenden Schooler's first Pro Bowl campaign pic.twitter.com/4fyjHC19bM
— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) January 2, 2025
In total, he was on the field for a team-high 86.5 percent of New England’s snaps between the kickoff and punt return and coverage squads as well as the field goal/extra point blocking team. While his playing time share did slightly decrease compared to 2023 — when he tied the team lead with an 88.9 percent share — he made the most of the opportunities coming his way.
That was true for both special teams and defense.
Seeing his first career snaps on the defensive side of the ball in a Week 10 win over the Chicago Bears, Schooler was the namesake of New England’s new “Longhorn” package. He served as a quarterback spy and situational blitzer within it, resulting in four quarterback pressures including a pair of sacks.
While he still only played 50 defensive snaps over seven different games — 26 of them coming in the season finale against Buffalo — Schooler took a serious step forward at his listed position of safety. That plus his standout special teams play, made him one of the Patriots’ best overall performers in what was an otherwise disappointing season.
2025 preview
Position: Multiple safety/Core special teamer | Ability: Depth player/Role player/Blue-chip special teamer | Contract: Signed through 2027
What will be his role? Schooler saw his first opportunities on defense in 2024, but his main focus heading into 2025 will remain on the kicking game. One of the top special teamers in all of football, he will once again be used on five units and find himself among the team leaders in snaps as well as tackles. Defensively, meanwhile, he offers depth at both the free and strong safety positions and the ability to take the field as part of select packages.
What is his growth potential? Schooler is already an All-Pro special teamer whose room for growth in that area mostly lies within his leadership. On defense, meanwhile, he needs to become more comfortable carrying out assignments that go beyond spying the quarterback or attacking the pocket as a blitzer. If he can do that, he could develop into a regular third or fourth option at the safety position (although there are questions about whether or not an increased role on defense would have a negative effect on his kicking game contributions).
Does he have positional versatility? Schooler has been a versatile player going back to his high school days, but the Patriots have not fully explored this aspect of his profile yet. Based on his track record, therefore, the majority of his flexibility comes from the kicking game, where he can play at a high level on five units. His willingness to help on defense is a definitive bonus, though.
What is his salary cap situation? As part of the aforementioned three-year, $9 million extension he signed with the Patriots last October, Schooler is carrying a $2.725 million cap hit into 2025. A significant portion of that sum is fully guaranteed, including both his base salary ($1.2M) and his signing bonus proration ($475k). In addition, it features likely-to-be-earned roster bonuses ($450k) and incentives ($500k) plus a workout bonus ($100k).
How safe is his roster spot? One of the Patriots’ few blue-chip players, as mentioned above, Schooler is a lock to make the roster in 2025. While there are questions about just how diverse his role will be under a new-look coaching staff, his special teams contributions alone make him worthy of a spot on the team for the foreseeable future.
Summary: The Patriots took a chance on Schooler as an undrafted free agent in 2022, and he has since repaid them with three seasons of standout special teams play. The nominal heir to Matthew Slater (and, in a way, recently-released long snapper Joe Cardona), he will again be a valuable presence in the kicking game and a realistic candidate to become a first-time captain this coming season.
What do you think about Brenden Schooler heading into the 2025 season? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.
More from patspulpit.com:
- WATCH: New Patriots WR Brandin Cooks makes ridiculous one-handed grab against the Jaguars
- Patriots release first depth chart of the season; list Mike Gilleslee as the number five running back
- Patriots-Jaguars Monday joint practice notes: WR Brandin Cooks puts on a show
- Patriots 2017 training camp: 08/07 live news feed, updates and open thread
- New England Patriots links 8/07/17 - Pats-Jags joint practices kick off preseason
- Former Patriots, Texans NT Vince Wilfork announces retirement
- Patriots 2017 training camp: Four things to watch during joint practices with the Jacksonville Jaguars
