The Patriots are expected to be bringing back a key member of their secondary on a new contract.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, safety Duron Harmon is expected to strike a new deal with the team that drafted him in the third round back in 2013.
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Harmon has been a critical piece for the Patriots defense as their third safety in "big nickel" defensive packages that they so often employ. In each of the last two seasons, Harmon has played over 50 percent of New England's defensive snaps.
A rangy safety who has picked off nine passes in his four-year career, Harmon has also taken on a significant role in the kicking game. With Patrick Chung and Devin McCourty already under contract for 2017, agreeing to a new deal with Harmon would solidify the back end of the Patriots defense.
Bill Belichick praised the trio for their consistency late last season saying, "A lot of times, all three of them are on the field together in different roles. Chung’s role changes; Devin and Duron are usually at the safety spot. It’s been great. It’s huge, they’re good players and they have good communication. They work well together in terms of disguises and they work well with their teammates whether it be the defensive ends, linebackers, the nickel back and so forth, and the corners. So communication and that is good, but they’re good players. They can run, they cover the deep part of the field good and they’re pretty consistent tacklers. That’s a really good group."