Patriots Mailbag: Which Remaining Free Agents Could Pats Sign?

Time for another New England Patriots mailbag. Let’s dive in.

@jchizz
Are there any free agents still unsignd that you think would be partcularly good fits for the Patriots?
The headliner there is Odell Beckham Jr. The three-time Pro Bowl wideout has been out of the league for a year and has yet to land with a new team this offseason despite reported interest from several. I think he’d be worth a flier for the Patriots, but not at anywhere near his reported asking price of $15 million per year.

Outside of Beckham, the list of still-available free agents features a number of recognizable defensive backs. At cornerback, there are names like Rock Ya-Sin, Shaquill Griffin, Marcus Peters, Ronald Darby, Byron Jones and Bryce Callahan. Unsigned safeties include old friends Logan Ryan and Duron Harmon. Bringing back one of those two to help fill the Devin McCourty void would be a logical move.

There also are several aging big-name edge rushers still on the market: Jadeveon Clowney, Frank Clark, Leonard Floyd, Yannick Ngakoue, Melvin Ingram, Bud Dupree, Justin Houston, Carlos Dunlap, Robert Quinn and Shaq Lawson. Trey Flowers, too, who visited the Patriots last month but did not sign. For off-the-ball linebackers, there’s Zach Cunningham, Rashaan Evans, Anthony Barr, Jaylon Smith and Ben Niemann, among others.

Chosen (formerly Robby) Anderson is a non-Beckham receiver who’s been linked to the Patriots in the past and currently is without a team.

If the Patriots feel the need for sturdier depth in the interior offensive line, where their current top backup is James Ferentz, they could take a look at Dalton Risner, Connor McGovern, Michael Schofield, Gabe Jackson or A.J. Cann. There also are a handful of veteran quarterbacks available if New England wants to add an experienced passer to join Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe.

@vigilante696969
Do you think the Patriots will add a true number 1 WR from now until the end of the draft?
I still don’t think a trade for DeAndre Hopkins or Jerry Jeudy is out of the question. The Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos haven’t found takers for those players at the teams’ desired price points, but trade talks often intensify just before or during the draft.

As for a potential rookie addition, the Patriots have spent time with each of the top four wideout prospects in this year’s draft class. They hosted USC’s Jordan Addison and Boston College’s Zay Flowers for top-30 visits — with Flowers reportedly driving straight from a red-eye flight from Las Vegas on Thursday morning to spend a full day with Bill O’Brien — and were at the pro days of Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba and TCU’s Quentin Johnston. Bill Belichick personally met with Johnston at his workout, and Patriots representatives reportedly had an “extensive private meeting” with Smith-Njigba at his.

If I choose between those four, I’d probably go with Smith-Njigba, but they all could help New England in different ways. I’m warming up to the idea of taking Flowers, especially since the Patriots might be able to trade down before selecting him.

I’m still skeptical that the Patriots would use a first-round pick on a receiver, since they’ve only done so once in the Belichick era (N’Keal Harry, No. 32, 2019). I haven’t had them taking a pass-catcher on Day 1 in any of my first four mock drafts. It’s certainly possible, though, and there are some very good ones that will be in their range.

There also are some enticing options that should come off the board on Day 2. I have my eye on North Carolina’s Josh Downs, Cicinnati’s Tyler Scott, Michigan State’s Jayden Reed and Ole Miss’ Jonathan Mingo.

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@JMTorla
Hey curious why folks say Pats need edge help with Uche and Judon?
I don’t think edge rusher is a major need for the Patriots. Josh Uche’s long-awaited emergence gave them much stronger depth there last season than they had in 2021.

But Uche is entering the final year of his rookie contract, Matthew Judon turns 31 this summer and the rest of their edge group isn’t especially impressive outside of defensive end Deatrich Wise. You’re talking about guys like Anfernee Jennings, who’s been pretty forgettable throughout his career; Ronnie Perkins, who has yet to play an NFL snap; and DaMarcus Mitchell, who was a special teams-only player in 2022.

So, the Patriots could benefit from adding another edge rusher in the draft, and it wouldn’t shock me if they used an early-round pick on one. I’ve thought for months that they could surprise and take one in the first round, depending on how the board falls for them. It was interesting that they reportedly had Georgia’s Nolan Smith, an undersized but extremely athletic projected first-rounder, in for a visit this week.

@pats300levelpod
Do you envision the Pats bringing back the FB position this year? They opted to get rid of it for the zone outside running game, but w/ them bringing in OBrien do you see them going back to that style (although they never had 1 when he was OC). Or will they run out of 12 personel
TBD. The Patriots could have benefited from at least having a fullback option last season, but as you noted, they didn’t use one during Bill O’Brien’s first tenure as offensive coordinator. O’Brien’s first few Texans teams did utilize a fullback (Jay Prosch), but he phased the position out after Deshaun Watson’s rookie season, with Houston ranking near the bottom of the NFL in 21 personnel usage from 2018-20.

So, it’s tough to predict exactly what the Patriots’ offense will look like this season. Reintegrating the fullback certainly wasn’t an offseason priority, as they still don’t have one on their roster nearly a month into free agency. Even if they don’t plan on having a bruising James Develin-type as a featured player in their offense, it would be smart to add someone who could at least fill that lead-blocking role when the situation calls for it.

Oregon State’s Jack Colletto and Houston’s Derek Parish are two intriguing late-round fullback prospects who could be on New England’s radar. Both played multiple positions in college and participated in the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl, with Colletto suiting up for the Patriots-coached West Team.