Seven Players Patriots Could Target On NFL Waiver Wire

Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and first-year head coach Jerod Mayo said New England would be aggressive on the waiver wire.

“We’re always looking for ways to improve the roster,” Mayo said during a video conference Monday. “I would say between Eliot and myself, we’re on the same page, whether it’s through trades, the waiver wire, whatever else it is, getting the guy off the street. We’re just always in the mindset of, ‘How do we get this roster better, and how do we continue to improve as a team going forward?'”

The Patriots now have the opportunity to do so by adding players who were not kept by their former teams.

The league’s deadline for teams to trim their rosters to 53 players is in the rearview and there are hundreds of recently-released players now available to the Patriots. Nobody available is going to be a season-altering talent. But given where New England’s roster stands, there is the chance to add depth.

We highlighted seven players the Patriots could show some interest in on the wire:

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Noah Brown, WR, Houston Texans
It was well-known the Texans were going to have to cut someone from their receiver room, but given Brown’s guaranteed money, it wasn’t known it would be him. The 28-year-old Brown is coming off a career-best 567-yard season despite missing seven regular-season games due to injury. When healthy, though, Brown put together a short stretch that rivaled the league’s best — 172 yards on seven receptions (Week 10), 153 yards on six receptions (Week 9) and 82 yards on eight catches (Week 15). Brown is not going to turn into any team’s WR1, but could help improve New England’s depth.

Terrace Marshall, WR, Carolina Panthers
Marshall was a second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft but fell down the Panthers depth chart in large part because Carolina traded for Diontae Johnson and drafted first-round wideout Xavier Legette this offseason. Marshall’s numbers (64 catches for 767 yards in 36 career games) don’t jump off the page — he wouldn’t be available on the waiver wire if they did. But we’re still talking about a player who finished inside the top 10 in receiving yards in the SEC in 2020 (48 catches for 731 yards). It would be a dice roll on potential more so than anything else. Ironically, a potential addition of the 24-year-old Marshall could spell the end to his college teammate, Kayshon Boutte, in New England.

Honorable mention: Tim Patrick, WR, Denver Broncos

Geron Christian, OT, Tennessee Titans
Christian was in a position battle for a reserve spot behind 2024 first-round pick JC Latham and 2022 third-rounder Nicholas Petit-Frere. He was a third-round pick by Washington in 2018 but started nine games for the Cleveland Browns during the 2023 campaign. Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and offensive line coach Scott Peters were on staff when Christian started those contests. He is set to enter his age-28 season.

Jesse Davis, OT, New Orleans Saints
Davis, who is set to enter his age-33 campaign, might not be a recognizable name, but he has plenty of experience. The 6-foot-6, 309-pound David has made 72 starts (95 games) during his seven-year career. He started his career with the Miami Dolphins in 2017 and played right guard for each of his first two seasons (100% of offensive snaps in 2018) before he moved to right tackle entering his third season. Davis played 95% of snaps (2019), 99% of snaps (2020) and 92% of snaps (2021) during a three-year period. He has played both tackle spots during stints with the Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers.

Kyle Hergel, OL, New Orleans Saints
The undrafted rookie guard was labeled one of the biggest surprise cuts by the Saints. Hergel impressed for the Saints this preseason and was viewed as a legitimate contender for a backup spot. The Patriots have struggled to find an offensive line grouping they like this preseason. And while the interior was thought to be locked down between left guard Sidy Sow, center David Andrews and right guard Mike Onwenu, things have changed. Fourth-round rookie Layden Robinson has emerged as a potential starting guard (Onwenu at tackle), but New England would benefit from improved depth.

Honorable mentions: Jackson Carman, OL, Cincinnati Bengals; Trey Hill, OL, Cincinnati Bengals; Royce Newman, OL, Green Bay Packers

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Donald Parham Jr., TE, Los Angeles Chargers
The 27-year-old is coming off the best season of his four-year career. Parham, measuring at 6-foot-8 and 237 pounds, is a big-bodied pass-catcher and red zone threat. He scored four touchdowns in 2023 while playing 48% of offensive snaps. The Patriots kept three tight ends on the initial 53-man roster: Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, and rookie Jaheim Bell. But Parham provides a different skillset with his length.

Irv Smith, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
Much like the Kansas City Chiefs did, we probably would have leaned Peyton Hendershot over Smith here. But the Dallas Cowboys reportedly traded Hendershot to the Chiefs instead of waiving him. Bell is more of an offensive threat than he is a tight end, and Smith is more of a big-bodied blocker (6-foor-2, 240 pounds).