Second-year New England Patriot Brenden Schooler was named to the NFLPA Players All Pro Team on Wednesday, as the standout special teamer was honored for his core work in the third phase of the game and voted onto the team by his peers.
Schooler was tied for the league lead with 13 special teams tackles in 2023, just a slight dip from the 14 he registered in 2022 when he joined the Patriots as an undrafted rookie out of Texas and immediately made his impact felt after making the team out of training camp. As a rookie, Schooler earned PFWA All-Rookie honors as the young player continues to stack recognition for his play, emerging as one of the best gunners in the game.
In 2023, Schooler played 89 percent of the special teams snaps while appearing in all 17 games. His best play of the year came in Week 2, when he was part of a clever field goal block design that allowed Schooler to gain speed while crashing down the line presnap, timing it perfectly to prevent the Dolphins from adding on to their 14-point lead in the third quarter.
With the anticipated retirement of Matthew Slater, Schooler should take on an even bigger and more important role in 2024. He was one of a few bright spots in 2023 despite the team finishing ranked 28th in special teams DVOA, and figures to be one core piece for the future.
