FOXBORO — Patrick Chung is an equal-opportunity defender.

Big, small, fast, slow, the Patriots safety treats every opponent the same, and that’s how it’s got to be considering he has covered everyone from Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald to Bills tight end Charles Clay to Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell.

“It’s just a mentality, man,” Chung said. “Just go out there and try to beat the guy across from you. When it comes down to it, the guy across from you is trying to beat you, too. It’s just a one-on-one battle for 80 plays.”

Chung’s role has evolved since his return to the Patriots in 2014, but the Chung of all trades really began to flourish in the spotlight last season, particularly in Week 6 when Bill Belichick made an unconventional midgame adjustment to plop Chung onto Colts speedy receiver T.Y. Hilton.

Throughout 2015, against a variety of tight ends, receivers and running backs, Chung allowed 27 completions on 58 targets (46.6 percent) and allowed 291 yards and one touchdown, and his 10 pass breakups (excluding interceptions) were tied for the second most on the team. Chung allowed the lowest completion percentage and passer rating (67.5) among the seven Patriots who were targeted at least 20 times.

He wasn’t a one-hit wonder, either. Quarterbacks are 14-of-24 (58.3 percent) for 145 yards, one touchdown and one interception against him this season (72.4 passer rating). Chung is also playing downhill well with two run stuffs, a quarterback hit and a pressure. He led Patriots defensive backs with six run stuffs and three quarterback hits last season.

“He’s great at that, finding the ball, getting through traffic, fitting in the running game,” Belichick said.

Chung’s coverage assignments have really separated him from other defensive backs, though, and it’ll be important again this weekend against Clay, who didn’t catch a pass on two targets against Chung in Week 4. However, Clay did catch a touchdown last season on Chung, who got lost in his zone assignment.

For Chung, though, he’ll rarely be tested in a game the way he has been at practice over the years. He routinely sees Rob Gronkowski, so he’ll see a lower level of competition at tight end every Sunday. And Belichick credited Chung’s battles with Wes Welker as a way to get the safety up to snuff with the smaller, quicker receivers on the schedule.

The wide-ranging responsibilities have taken shape this season. He was only targeted once against the Cardinals in Week 1 (Fitzgerald’s 6-yard catch), as tight end Jermaine Gresham produced against others. Chung also lined up against tight ends Jordan Cameron and Dion Sims and wide receiver DeVante Parker in Week 2. Chung surrendered his only touchdown in man coverage over the last two seasons against Cameron.

Some of Chung’s other drastic differences in coverage style have come against Texans blazing wideout Will Fuller and a bigger tight end in Ryan Griffin, as well as Browns nifty route runner Andrew Hawkins and tight end Gary Barnidge. And last week, against Bell, Chung broke up a potential touchdown pass along the sideline.

It takes a lot of prep work to be ready for that many assignments because pre-snap checks can change Chung’s leverage and it’s paramount to have the right technique when he could be tested on a fly pattern against a track star on one play and then be forced to contest a jump ball against a Mack Truck on the next.

“Just knowing your opponent, being in tune with the game, knowing your leverage and all that stuff,” Chung said. “You can’t really think about, ‘Oh man, I’m going to cover a receiver now.’ You’ve just got to go out there and cover him, do the best you can, slow him down as much as you can and make the quarterback look off of him and go from there.”

The Pats use Chung differently from his first stint in town from 2009-12 when he was deployed in more zone looks.

“I’m the same football player,” Chung said. “It’s just the game slowed down. I just relaxed and grew up. Things aren’t going to be in your favor sometimes. You’ve just got to work through it, prepare and play hard no matter the circumstance.”