The New England Patriots have a clear and obvious need at offensive tackle, and they might need a new free safety if Devin McCourty chooses to retire.
ESPN’s Matt Bowen spotlighted two impending free agents who could fill those voids.
Bowen on Tuesday published a rundown of which teams would be the best fits for the top 50 players set to hit free agency on March 15. He connected two to the Patriots: Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor and Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer.
Taylor is ESPN’s 15th-ranked free agent. Poyer, a longtime Patriots rival who’s spent his entire career in Buffalo, ranks 23rd. Both are the third-highest-ranked players at their respective positions, with Taylor trailing Kansas City’s Orlando Brown Jr. and San Francisco’s Mike McGlinchey and Poyer sitting behind Cincinnati’s Jessie Bates III and Philadelphia’s C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
Here were Bowen’s writeups on both:
Jawaan Taylor
The Jags could use the franchise tag to keep Taylor in Jacksonville, but he can also fill a major need for Bill O’Brien’s offense in New England, slotting in at right tackle position where Isaiah Wynn and Marcus Cannon are both headed to free agency. Taylor has the movement traits at 6-foot-5, 312 pounds to mirror speed and can handle power rushers. And at just 25 years old, Taylor has room for growth, too. The Patriots would have to spend some money to sign Taylor to multiyear contract. Last season, New England allowed 41 sacks (15th), and quarterback Mac Jones struggled when pressured, turning in a league-low 4.1 QBR in those situations.
Jordan Poyer
Here’s a fun one. Poyer’s multidimensional traits fit with Bill Belichick’s scheme as a movable defensive player with deep-field range. Veteran safety Devin McCourty is set to hit free agency, so there is a need here. A highly instinctual defensive back, Poyer could match in coverage, check tight ends or track the ball from post/deep-half alignments in New England. And he can play multiple roles in Belichick’s sub-packages. Last season, Poyer logged four interceptions and eight pass breakups for the Bills.
NESN.com also pegged Poyer as a potential Patriots fit earlier this offseason.
The only current Patriots player to crack ESPN’s top 50 was Jakobi Meyers, who slotted in at No. 21 overall and No. 1 among wide receivers.
Bowen listed Houston as Meyers’ best fit, noting how the Texans’ soon-to-be-drafted rookie quarterback would benefit from having a reliable wideout like Meyers and that general manager Nick Caserio spent two decades in New England before taking his current job in 2021. Caserio has imported a number of former Patriots since arriving in Houston, signing the likes of Rex Burkhead, Phillip Dorsett and Danny Amendola.
Meyers, the Patriots’ leading receiver in each of the last three seasons, has said he would like to stay in New England. But as the best wideout available in a weak free agent class, he’ll have a strong market and could receive a more lucrative contract elsewhere.
