The New England Patriots badly need an infusion of offensive tackle talent, and the headliner of this year's free agent class now is set to become available.
The Kansas City Chiefs opted not to use the franchise tag on left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., according to multiple reports Monday. If Brown and the Chiefs cannot reach an agreement on a long-term contract by next Wednesday, the 26-year-old would become a free agent and be free to sign with any team.
That's big news for tackle-needy teams like the Patriots.
Brown is one of the NFL's premier left tackles, earning Pro Bowl selections in each of the last four seasons. He's missed just one game in his five-year NFL career and started all 20 (including playoffs) for the champion Chiefs this season, helping lead an O-line that neutralized the Philadelphia Eagles' potent pass rush in Super Bowl LVII.
Signing Brown and shifting Trent Brown back to the right side would give the Patriots a formidable tackle tandem, solidifying a group that sorely lacked depth in 2022. But doing so would require a major financial investment.
Orlando Brown Jr. is expected to be the most expensive free agent tackle on the market, with salary cap site Spotrac projecting the average annual value of his next contract at $22.4 million. The Patriots are set to enter free agency with roughly $32 million in available cap space, so it could take a large portion of that to sign Brown, depending on how his deal is structured.
With the Patriots also needing to make moves at wide receiver, cornerback, safety and elsewhere, should they instead aim a bit lower at tackle to have additional funds to spend elsewhere? San Francisco's Mike McGlinchey, Jacksonville's Jawaan Taylor and Atlanta's Kaleb McGary all would be significant upgrades for New England and likely won't cost quite as much as Brown.
The Patriots also met with several of the top tackle prospects at the NFL combine -- including Georgia's Broderick Jones, Ohio State's Paris Johnson Jr. and Oklahoma's Anton Harrison -- and could target that position with the 14th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Signing a more affordable mid-level veteran or two and then using a high pick on a tackle is another possible strategy.
Regardless of how they do it, the Patriots need to improve their tackle group this offseason. They currently have just Trent Brown, Conor McDermott and redshirted 2022 draft pick Andrew Stueber under contract for 2023, and Brown is entering the final year on his deal.
