FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots are thin at defensive end, which is a notable contrast from last year’s Super Bowl season when they rotated four starting-caliber players -- Chris Long, Jabaal Sheard, Rob Ninkovich and Trey Flowers -- at the position.

Flowers is the only end still on the team, and he’s almost doubled his workload from last year because of it.

Last year, he played 54 percent of the defensive snaps; this year, he’s at 91.3.

The soft-spoken Flowers has embraced the added work, saying one key has been “taking care of your body like a pro” while also “doing a little extra cardio that allows you to stay in shape and continue at a high motor throughout the long games.”

In that sense, the Patriots’ season has shades of 2014, which was the last time the club had relied on one player so highly at defensive end. That year, Ninkovich played 93.9 percent of the snaps.

Trey Flowers' 3.5 sacks and 13 quarterback hits so far this season are both tied for the team lead. AP Photo/Steven Senne

“There have been years where our ends have never come off the field. There have been [other] years where we’ve had the ability to move guys in and out of positions based on things that we’re doing,” noted defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. “It’s just trying to be in a mode to put ourselves in the situation to win that week.”

Last year, Patricia had the luxury of a four-man rotation with Long (65.1 percent), Sheard (55.6), Flowers (54) and Ninkovich (44.3). This year, it’s been Flowers and then piecing things together, with rookie Deatrich Wise Jr. and trade acquisition Cassius Marsh the top options.

Because of those dynamics, it’s hard to imagine where the Patriots would be without Flowers, the 2015 fourth-round draft pick from Arkansas.

He has 36 tackles (third on the team) and his 3.5 sacks and 13 quarterback hits are both tied for the team lead. He’s added a pass defended and forced fumble, while consistently displaying the ability to set the edge in the running game by not allowing the play to get outside.

But perhaps even more than that, as Bill Belichick acknowledged Wednesday, the 6-foot-2, 265-pound Flowers has been tapped to do other things (e.g. drop into coverage) that might not be a perfect match for his skill set.

“Trey’s done some things like that in the past [but] not as much as he has this year,” Belichick said. “This year we’ve had some different situations at the defensive end position at various points in time. Trey has the most experience of our defensive linemen. He’s also athletic and can handle a degree of versatility in our responsibilities. I’m not sure that’s always the best thing for him, but sometimes he’s the best we have at it.”