by Zack Cox on Wed, May 10, 2017 at 8:47AM 2,795 Share this: The 2016 New England Patriots were strong in the trenches on both sides of the ball. That shouldn’t change this season. In addition to bringing back their entire offensive line, the Patriots remained fully stocked at defensive tackle this offseason by re-signing Alan Branch and adding former Baltimore Ravens D-lineman Lawrence Guy in free agency. Branch, perhaps the most underrated player on New England’s Super Bowl LI-winning defense, led all Patriots D-tackles with 626 defensive snaps played last season. Fellow starter Malcom Brown, who struggled with consistency at times in his second NFL season, was close behind with 596 snaps, while the third man in the interior defensive tackle rotation, Vincent Valentine,