FOXBORO For a defense looking for more dynamic playmakers this season, you have to be at least intrigued with their week 2 preseason performance in a over the Carolina Panthers.Between their pro bowl linebacker, Matthew Judon, second-year standoutChristian Barmore, and players like Ja'Whaun Bentley, and Josh Uche, speed and pa s rush stood out.As a team, the defense came up with five sacks. Of course, sack totals dont always represent a teams ability to get to the quarterback but it's an area New England is looking to improve on in 2022.Barmore is a player who is hoping to contribute more in the Greg Maddux Jersey pa s rush in his second season. The Patriots couldnt have asked for a better rookie campaign, as Danny Santana Jersey the Alabama product was arguably New Englands most impactful defender behind Judon. Even though he finished with a team-high 38 pre sures, it only translated to 1.5 sacks.What do I want to work on? Finish the quarterback, really, Barmore said when asked about his goals this offseason. Thats really my thing right there. Finish really that. And better footwork. Thats it, finishing.Granted it was only a preseason game, but Ja'Whaun Bentley showed leadership, pa sion, and emotion. He finished the game with a game-high five tackles includingsmothering a screen pa s for a four-yard lo s.After starting out as the young kid playing behind the likes of Donta Hightower,Jamie Collins, andKyle Van Noy, Bentley is now the guy younger players look to on defense.Scroll to ContinueAnd then of course there is arguably , Judon. After signing a four-year, $56 million deal last offseason, he proved to be a player opposing offensive coordinators actually had to worry about on every pa s attempt.He finished last season with 12.5 sacks. No other player on New England's defense tallied Tyler Flowers Jersey more than five sacks."It really didnt matter what we had last year, it's a whole new year. We looking faster and quicker but right now it's just a building block," Judon said. "We got to continue this through the rest of preseason and day by day. We trying to move fast and we Nick Markakis Jersey are trying to come downhill and we trying to hit."Other than Judon, all the sack leaders from previous years have left town. Chase Winovich led New England with 5.5 sacks in 2020, but he of course was traded to Cleveland in the offseason. Collins and Van Noy combined for six sacks in 2021, but Collins is still a free agent and Van Noy took his talents to Los Angeles after signing a big-time free agent deal.So can this year's defense be more aggre sive in terms of getting to the quarterback or just being aggre sive?"That's how we want to play. We want to play a downhill mentality, we want to be aggre sive, we want to attack the line scrimmage and knock it back," Judon said. "With speed and smarts, you got to do everything within the defense Ender Inciarte Jersey , but when we are moving fast and executing, thats going to help us a lot."As it stands today, the team is focusing on getting better every day and being more explosive as a defensive unit, just like Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo talked about back in February.Were going to look to get faster, more explosive, and put more playmakers on the field, Mayo said in a February interview. You always want to get faster, especially in todays game. Thats at all spots.