Matt Patricia

New England Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia signals from the sideline in the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Green Bay Packers Thursday, Aug. 13, 2015, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

(Michael Dwyer)

If Matt Patricia becomes an NFL head coach, he'll have to wait at least one more year.

And that's probably just fine if you're Matt Patricia, because the current gig ain't all that bad.

The Patriots have small gaps to fill on offense this offseason -- notably at tackle, running back and receiver -- but they are virtually set defensively. The core in New England is in a better spot than any other defense in the NFL.

Malcolm Butler, Dont'a Hightower and Chandler Jones are 25 years old. Jamie Collins and Jabaal Sheard are 26. Logan Ryan, entering his fourth NFL season, is 24. Malcom Brown is 21. Veterans Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung are 28, in the primes of their careers.

All nine of those guys are under contract next year. Hightower, Jones and Collins are eligible for extensions. In the case of Jones and Hightower, it makes sense for the team to extend them before the 2016 free agent period. Currently, Jones is due for a base salary of $7.79 million in 2016. Hightower is due for a salary of $7.75 million by virtue of the option in his deal. By reaching contract extensions with both, the Patriots can save 2016 cap space, freeing up money that can be allocated for an offensive tackle, a receiver or another position of need.

And there aren't many on defense.

Brown had a promising rookie season, and second-year defensive tackle Dominique Easley -- just 23 years old -- played well until he suffered a season-ending thigh injury in Week 14 at Houston. Talented as he is, Easley's durability is an obvious concern. But that's a small issue on a defense that has no glaring weaknesses.

Bill Belichick took a calculated risk a year ago when he opted not to pay Darrelle Revis and also parted ways with Brandon Browner and Kyle Arrington. There was a complete makeover at cornerback. Belichick bet heavy on Malcolm Butler, and he hit.

"Malcolm has come a long way on and off the field, as a professional, as a professional football player," Belichick said earlier this year. "He's worked really hard at it, and I think everybody respects him for it."

Butler emerged in his second NFL season, and Logan Ryan did the same in his third, blanketing receivers like DeAndre Hopkins and Demaryius Thomas (in two games against the Patriots, Thomas had three receptions on 20 targets for 48 yards). The 2016 base salaries of Ryan and Butler are a combined $1.3 million. Revis' is $17 million. Gamble paid off.

Eventually, Malcolm Butler and Jamie Collins will command huge paydays. Ryan will get paid, too. But in 2016, all three are bargains.

In 2016, it's reasonable to expect the Patriots defense to take another step forward. This was a young unit that rapidly grew into one of the league's best this past year. It's a unit comprised of players who are in the primes of their careers, so the basis for the expectation is simple: Hightower, Collins, Jones, Sheard, Brown, Easley, Butler and Ryan have individually improved each year. So why wouldn't the defense as a whole continue to trend upward?

Tom Brady is nowhere near the end, and he won't need an elite, hell-raising defense to lift him to the Super Bowl the way Peyton Manning needed it in 2015.

Fortunately for Brady, he might soon have a defense like that, anyway.