The New England Patriots need help at offensive tackle. Could they buy low on a former Pro Bowler who just hit the open market?
Veteran tackle Taylor Lewan announced Wednesday on Twitter that the Tennessee Titans were releasing him.
"I hope I did enough to create something all the titan fans can be proud of," Lewan tweeted after his podcast, Barstool Sports' "Bussin' With the Boys," broke the news of his release. "I love you all."
Lewan, a 2014 first-round draft pick out of Michigan, played nine seasons in Tennessee and made the Pro Bowl in three of them (2016-18) before being beset by injuries. The soon-to-be 32-year-old missed four games in 2019, 11 in 2020, four in 2021 and then 15 in 2022 after tearing the ACL in his right knee for the second time in three years.
In a Super Bowl week interview with the Titans' official website, Lewan said he was progressing well in his rehab but hadn't yet decided whether he wants to play another season or retire.
"Football, it is not something I can wake up five years from now and say: You know what dude? I am going to go play ball again," Lewan said. "Once this chapter is closed, I am not a Brett Favre. I am not one of these guys that is going to retire and unretire. I am not going to do that. I am going to make a decision, and I'm going to stick with that decision. ...
"I'll say this: I would never step on a football field in my entire life and not be 100% in, because a lot of things happen -- you look like an idiot, because you don't play well, and you get hurt. For me, if I am going to play football, it will be at 100%."
Though Lewan, who was set to make $14 million this season, said he expected to be cut, he also admitted "it would feel very uncomfortable" for him to play for a team other than Tennessee.
All of those factors -- the age, injury history, retirement consideration and reluctance to join a new franchise -- make Lewan an unlikely offseason target for the Patriots. He's certainly not someone they could sign and then confidently bank on him being an every-week starter.
But if Lewan wants to keep playing and is willing to sign a contract that's very light on guaranteed money, he could be worth a flier. Give him a shot in training camp, and if his body or performance can't hold up, cut him loose. Lewan was one of the NFL's best left tackles in his prime, and the Patriots should be looking to add multiple tackle options after a lack of quality depth there burned them this season.
As of Wednesday, the only Patriots tackles under contract for the upcoming season were Trent Brown, the newly re-signed Conor McDermott and 2022 seventh-round draft pick Andrew Stueber, with Isaiah Wynn, Marcus Cannon and Yodny Cajuste set to hit free agency.
The Titans also released veteran wideout Robert Woods, who could be on the Patriots' radar as they retool their receiving corps. Woods turns 31 in April, and though his 2022 stats weren't especially impressive (53 catches, 527 yards, two touchdowns), he posted three consecutive seasons with at least 85 catches and 900 yards for the Los Angeles Rams before missing the second half of 2021 with an ACL tear.
