The New England Patriots have more than 20 players set to hit free agency when the NFL league year opens March 15. As that date approaches, we’re taking a closer look at each one. Next up: defensive lineman Daniel Ekuale.
He didn’t generate a ton of headlines this season, but Daniel Ekuale was one of the more underrated players on the New England Patriots defense.
The veteran defensive tackle excelled in his limited sub-rusher role, racking up three sacks (tied for fourth on team), 22 total quarterback pressures (fifth) and eight tackles, per Pro Football Focus. In fact, Ekuale’s production this season basically was on par with that of Christian Barmore’s, albeit while seeing 35 more snaps. Of course, Barmore missed seven games due to injuries (Ekuale missed two due to a banned-substance suspension), but on a per-snap basis, they offered similar production.
Ekuale, who spent the bulk of 2021 on New England’s practice squad, was on the 53-man roster for the rest of this season after returning from his two-game absence. When all was said and done, he earned a 60.1 PFF defensive grade, good for third among Patriots linemen. He basically was the second coming of Adam Butler — which is a good thing.
The Washington State product now is set to hit unrestricted free agency and figures to generate some interest on the open market, but likely won’t fetch a large contract. So, should New England find a way to bring him back?
Here are cases for and against the Patriots re-signing Ekuale this offseason:
CASE FOR
Honestly, this is a no-brainer.
Ekuale is a solid all-around player and fills an important role on the Patriots defense. With Barmore potentially in line for an every-down role as Lawrence Guy ages, New England needs a reliable sub-rusher. Ekuale also is a perfectly fine run defender, with the Patriots giving him 78 snaps in rushing situations this season.
The former Cleveland Brown and Jacksonville Jaguar shouldn’t cost much to re-sign, and the Patriots don’t really have any young players ready to replace him. Rookies Sam Roberts (sixth round) and DaMarcus Mitchell (undrafted) project more as edge rushers than interior linemen.
For all those reasons, re-signing Ekuale would make a ton of sense.
CASE AGAINST
We’re not talking about a future star or anything.
Ekuale, 29, is what he is at this point. We probably have seen the best of him, which, again, is a good thing. But New England might be better off finding another young lineman in the draft as it looks to develop a new core on the defense. It’s hard to imagine the Patriots can’t find Ekuale-level production in the middle rounds.
Ultimately, New England shouldn’t extend itself if another team wants to overpay for Ekuale.
More Patriots free agent profiles: Jakobi Meyers | Damien Harris | Nelson Agholor | Jonathan Jones | Isaiah Wynn
