Have we been thinking about the LB position all wrong?

[Mobetta20]

@barreb101

@JerseyJungle

And maybe even post-achilles Branch

I was saying before that i wonder if an undersized will/nb role would be his best role moving forward but we shall see how he recovers and what limitations may exist.

I’ve always believed his most effective role was the one he played during his rookie season—Nickelback. Operating closer to the line of scrimmage, he defended the run exceptionally well, and when utilized as a blitzer, he was consistently disruptive, often finishing plays with sacks. In that role, he looked like the best version of himself.

Now, while he’s aligned more at safety—primarily in a rover-type capacity—I still think there’s untapped potential in how he’s being deployed. I’d like to see more creativity from the defensive scheme, particularly in how both Branch and Aidan are utilized. At times, their roles have felt somewhat static—Branch to a lesser extent than Aidan—but predictable enough that opposing offenses can anticipate their positioning. Introducing more variation and unpredictability this season could elevate the impact of both players and the defense as a whole.

[Thats2]

Yeah, I agree completely with this. I’ve said the same thing. He is never more impactful than when he’s at the line of scrimmage. He has those Polamalu instincts. Which actually gives me hope long term despite the injury. You don’t need quite as much juice to thrive up there if you’ve got the instincts.

He was also a major plus from a deeper role so it was hard to complain about moving him there, but to me if you want to get the absolute best from him, it’s near the line. To me it’s the difference between top 5 impact defender overall and simply a very good player.