FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- When the New England Patriots lose a player to season-ending injured reserve like they did with reserve defensive end Michael Buchanan on Monday, the trickle-down effect of the move can be easily overlooked because Buchanan isn't a front-line player.
But as Bill Belichick has explained in the past, when a player is part of multiple special-teams units as Buchanan is, that type of loss can be almost like trying to replace multiple players because of the varied responsibilities.
To explain further, Buchanan is part of the punt coverage unit (aligned to the right of the snapper), in addition to the kickoff coverage and punt-return units. Perhaps rookie Zach Moore can fill in, but the 2014 season has been his first playing special teams, so the learning curve is a bit steep.
Using Buchanan's special-teams status as a springboard, here are the players that were part of multiple units against the Bengals, which highlights their value on the 46-man game-day roster:
Four units
LB Chris White
Three units
DE Michael Buchanan
LB Ja'Gared Davis
CB Logan Ryan
Two units
Chung's special-teams role expanded Sunday as he took over personal protector duties from injured Nate Ebner. Slater leads the team with eight special-teams tackles, while Ebner is next with six and then Ryan with five.
