AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

By Nick O'Malley | nomalley@masslive.com

The regular season has come and gone, and the New England Patriots are poised for another playoff run.

Elsewhere across the league, there are some familiar faces who are packing it up for the season, and others who are gearing up for a playoff run of their own.

Here's a look at some former Patriots players (some from earlier this season, some from previous years) are doing across the NFL.

Be warned, there are a whole lot of success stories on this list, starting with a couple of former Tom Brady backups.

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AP Photo/Michael Conroy

QB Jacoby Brissett (Colts)

2017 stats: 3,098 yards, 13 TDs, 7 INTs, 58.8% completion, 81.7 QB rating

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Brissett has come a long way in 2017, going from third-stringer in New England to a serviceable starter in Indianapolis.

Still, it was a long season for Brissett. He had solid production, and took care of the ball. Only 1.5 percent of his passes were intercepted, the fourth-best mark in the league, putting him right behind Tom Brady.

He did take a beating, however. Brissett took 52 sacks this year, the most in the NFL.

While Andrew Luck is presumably the long-term starter for the Colts, Brissett likely played himself into another NFL starting job down the road.

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AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

QB Jimmy Garoppolo (49ers)

2017 stats: 1,560 yards, 7 TDs, 5 INTs, 67.4% completion, 96.2 QB rating

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In terms of generating late-season excitement, no one did it quite like Jimmy Garoppolo.

After taking the starting job, Garoppolo led the 49ers on a five-game winning streak to close out the season (with the team going 1-10 up to that point).

Garoppolo was a spark for San Francisco, and had passing numbers that were up there with the NFL's best. It was a small sample size, but he has the 10th most passing yards per game this season, and averaged more than Matt Ryan, Kirk Cousins and Jared Goff.

He also averaged 8.8 yards per attempt. No quarterback among qualified starters was close to that. Drew Brees led the league with 8.1, and Tom Brady averaged 7.9 yards per attempt.

That's pretty good value in exchange for a second-round pick.

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AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo

RB LeGarrette Blount (Eagles)

2017 stats: 173 rushes, 766 yards, 2 TDs, 4.4 yards per attempt

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Blount led the Eagles in rushing this season, which is encouraging. However, he has seen his production drop off toward the end of the season.

With the team acquiring Jay Ajayi midseason, the Eagles went to more of a running back by committee approach. Blount hasn't posted double digit carries or run for more than 40 yards since Week 12.

Blount finished 22nd in the NFL in rushing this year, and was especially effective on a per-carry basis, averaging 4.4 yards per run (11th best in the league).

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AP Photo/Ralph Freso

LB Chandler Jones (Cardinals)

2017 stats: 17.0 sacks, 59 tackles, 3 passes defensed

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There's really no getting around it: Chandler Jones has turned into one of the league's best pass rushers since being traded to Arizona. His 17 sacks led the NFL this season by a sizable margin.

In two seasons, Jones has posted 28 sacks. He's almost matched the 36 sacks he recording during his four seasons in New England.

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AP Photo/Don Wright

RB Stevan Ridley (Steelers)

2017 stats: 26 rushes, 108 yards, 1 TD

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Ridley has bounced around the league since leaving New England and hasn't found consistent work. However, he did get a chance for a big role after landing with the Steelers late in the season.

With Pittsburgh resting its starters in Week 17, Ridley got the chance to carry the league, scoring his first touchdown since early in the 2014 season with the Patriots.

At age 28, Ridley could still have time for a late-career push. His game for the Steelers is encouraging and could point to positive signs going forward.

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AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth

DE Chris Long (Eagles)

2017 stats: 28 tackles, 5.0 sacks, 4 forced fumbles

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Long left the Patriots to take on a different role in a defense and ultimately posted similar numbers to what he did in New England in 2016 (35 tackles, 4.0 sacks).

Long has found a solid niche as a rotational pass rusher on a good team. He finished tied for third on the team in sacks and is a big part of what makes the Eagles defense such a potent unit.

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AP Photo/James Kenney

CB Logan Ryan (Titans)

2017 stats: 62 tackes, 11 passes defensed, 0 interceptions

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It was a quiet year for Logan Ryan in his first season as a team's No. 1 cornerback.

He didn't have an interception this season, which isn't a great sign for his ball skills. Pro Football Focus gave him a 77.5 grade this season, ranking him No. 58 among cornerbacks. It wasn't a breakout season, but it wasn't exactly a disaster.

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AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

RB Danny Woodhead (Ravens)

2017 stats: 14 rushes, 56 yards, 33 receptions, 200 yards

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It was a tough season for Woodhead, who injured his hamstring in Week 1 and missed roughly half of the season. He ultimately filled a role on the Ravens as a situational receiving back and ended up with some salvageable production.

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AP Photo/Mark Tenally

RB D.J. Foster (Cardinals)

2017 stats: 17 receptions, 133 yards, 6 rushes, 19 yards

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Remember D.J. Foster? Yup, it's a name we haven't heard in New England for a while.

After getting scooped up by the Cardinals, Foster finally got a chance for some playing time -- though it didn't come until late in the season.

Foster got regular touches over the last seven games of 2017, recording all 17 of his receptions during that timeframe.

He also returned eight kicks this season, including a 55-yard return.

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CB Justin Coleman (Seahawks)

2017 stats: 35 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 9 passes defensed, 2 interceptions, 2 touchdowns

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Coleman was sent to Seattle in the Cassius Marsh trade and ending up making some huge plays for his new team.

After getting lost in the secondary shuffle in New England, Coleman emerged as a playmaker in Seattle. Coleman ended playing nearly 60 percent of defensive snaps this year for the Seahawks, with his playing time shooting up after the first few weeks.

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AP Photo/Bill Kostroun

DE Kony Ealy (Jets)

2017 stats: 14 tackles, 9 passes defensed, 1.0 sack

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Ealy ending up finding a role with the Jets after getting cut by the Patriots. But didn't ultimately have the biggest year.

Ealy posted a career-low in sacks and tackles. On the other hand, he did break up nine passes this year, which is nearly double the number he'd had through his first three seasons.

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AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

TE James O'Shaughnessy (Jaguars)

2017 stats: 14 catches, 149 yards, 1 touchdown

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O'Shaughnessy didn't end up making the cut with the Patriots, but found a nice role with another AFC playoff team. With his new team, O'Shaughnessy was mostly limited to special teams, playing just over 20 percent of offensive snaps on the year. His biggest play of the year was a 29-yard catch on a fake punt.

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AP Photo/Darron Cummings

CB Kenny Moore (Colts)

2017 stats: 33 tackles, 1 interception, 5 passes defensed

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Moore went from being a Patriots UDFA with potential, to buried on the Colts depth chart to an NFL starter by the end of the 2017 season.

Moore's rookie year started slow, playing mostly on special teams. But by the end of the year, he was one of the team's primary cornerbacks, playing over 90 percent of snaps from Week 12 to Week 15.

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AP Photo/AJ Mast

DE Jabaal Sheard (Colts)

2017 stats: 52 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 3 passes defensed

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Sheard wound up getting a big bump in playing time after signing with the Colts this offseason. Playing more of a linebacker role, Sheard was third on the team in usage, playing 83 percent of defensive snaps.

Sheard's sack totals were didn't change much from 2016, when he posted six sacks in his last season in New England.

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AP Photo/Darron Cummings

LB Barkevious Mingo (Colts)

2017 stats: 44 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 2 passes defensed

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Mingo is another member of the 2016 Patriots who saw his role increase on defense after jumping to Indy.

In addition to his role as a key special teamer, Mingo played roughly 46 percent of snaps for the Colts this year. That's a big jump from his four tackles posted in 2016.

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AP Photo/Bill Kostroun

RB Shane Vereen (Giants)

2017 stats: 45 rushes, 164 yards, 44 receptions, 253 yards

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It was a tough year for the Giants in 2017, but Vereen continued to chug along as a consistent third-down back. His 44 catches ranked third on the team this year.

Overall, Vereen has had a 50/50 split on rushes and catches in his three seasons in New York, which is pretty much in line with what he's done in his career.

He also attempted a pass this season. It was intercepted.

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AP Photo/Paul Sancya

DL Akiem Hicks (Bears)

2017 stats: 54 tackles, 8.5 sacks

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Hicks posted a career high 8.5 sacks in 2017, which is especially good for an interior lineman like him.

Hicks has a solid run in New England in 2015, but really came into his own since signing with the Bears. He's quietly turning into one of the league's best interior linemen.

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AP Photo/David Richard

LB Jamie Collins (Browns)

2017 stats: 31 tackles, 1.0 sacks, 1 interception

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Collins was set for a big season with Cleveland after signing a long-term deal. However, his season was cut short due to an MCL tear in Week 10.

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AP Photo/Paul Sancya

S Tavon Wilson (Lions)

2017 stats: 65 tackles, 1 interceptions, 2.0 sacks

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Wilson appeared to have entrenched himself as a key figure for the Lions. But like Collins, his season was also cut short due to injury. Wilson injured his shoulder on Thanksgiving and was placed on injured reserve after undergoing surgery.

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AP Photo/Mark Zaleski

WR Brandon LaFell (Bengals)

2017 stats: 45 catches, 548 yards, 3 touchdowns

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LaFell finished the season as the Bengals' second-leading receiver, but did appear to take a bit of a step back.

His 45 catches were just one more than his career low posted as a rookie. He also recorded 548 yards. More telling: his 10.5 yards per reception were a career low by far.

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AP Photo/Steven Senne

WR Austin Carr (Saints)

2017 stats: 1 game played

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Carr had an encouraging preseason before getting picked up by the Saints. However, he didn't end up getting much playing time. He was active for the team's Week 4 game against the Miami Dolphins, but did not record any stats this year.

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AP Photo/Mary Schwalm

DE/OLB Rob Ninkovich (Retired)

2017 stats: None

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Yes, he retired at the beginning of the year and isn't playing for anyone. But aren't you curious what Ninkovich has been up to these days?

Recently, Ninkovich has been spotted at a number of charity and business events. As for whether he's coming out of retirement, the last time he was asked that was in November during a pregame show.

Ninkovich's response? "I have two beers in my hands right now."

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