UFA Pats should consider at Positions of need

1, Backup QB, need someone better than Dobbs: Kenny Pickett. Garroppolo, Sam Howell, Trey Lance

2. RB- Kenneth Gainwelll, Tyler Allgier

3. WR- Rashid Shaheed, Treylon Burke, Romeo Doubs, Jouan Jennings

4. TE- David Njoku, Dallas Goedert, Noah Fant

5. OL- Jonah Williams, Connor Mcgovern, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Zion Johnson, Robert Jones, Dillon Radon, Fred Johnson

6. Edge- Dremont Jones, Jaelen Phillips, Kwity Paye, Boye Mafe

7. LB- Quay Walker, Devin Lloyd, Nakobe Dean


Factoring inn wanting to get younger and cheaper
exceptions on younger are Garropolo, Goedert

Will cost big $- Shaheed, Jonah Williams, Jean Phillips, Devin Lloyd

I think splurging on Phillips is worth it

From that list I'd prioritize OL (lg specifically), I'd add David Edwards and Seumalo to your list. I would love to see Lloyd, or Walker step into our linebacker spot next to Spillane.

At TE, I want to bring Isaiah Likely home. I think they go low cost high upside vet on a deal similar to the one they signed Chaisson to last year at edge then target that position in the draft.

It's difficult to assess whether Dobbs is a good or bad option as he only threw 10 passes last year...
Thought DeVito was our planned back up...

Grogan14 said:

1, Backup QB, need someone better than Dobbs: Kenny Pickett. Garroppolo, Sam Howell, Trey Lance

2. RB- Kenneth Gainwelll, Tyler Allgier

3. WR- Rashid Shaheed, Treylon Burke, Romeo Doubs, Jouan Jennings

4. TE- David Njoku, Dallas Goedert, Noah Fant

5. OL- Jonah Williams, Connor Mcgovern, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Zion Johnson, Robert Jones, Dillon Radon, Fred Johnson

6. Edge- Dremont Jones, Jaelen Phillips, Kwity Paye, Boye Mafe

7. LB- Quay Walker, Devin Lloyd, Nakobe Dean


Factoring inn wanting to get younger and cheaper
exceptions on younger are Garropolo, Goedert

Will cost big $- Shaheed, Jonah Williams, Jean Phillips, Devin Lloyd

I think splurging on Phillips is worth it

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Not sure any of those are better than Dobbs. Very sure Trey Lance isn’t.

Gainwell or Algiers won’t come here to be a RB3. This is probably a draft pick, young unproven FA, or UDFA

Shaheed caught something like 12 passes in 11 games for Seattle. Burks is a bust. Jennings is a head case. Doubs maybe but I don’t think we need to spend what he will cost. Rather play Kyle Williams and use the money elsewhere.

Are you getting rid of Henry?

Jonah Williams is cooked. None of those other guys move he needle much but we do need OL

Every edge is under consideration.

I think we can save enough by cutting Elliss to add a better LB.


Younger and cheaper was a comment about what every team always wants to do, in general, not a specific strategy

Devito is good and has high completion rate . I am ok to continue with him.

Likely I agree . Hope we can get him for 7-9 million a year

Sign me for any of the free agent pacific islanders as olinemen . The hit ratio is pretty high for them as linemen.

I actually wouldn't mind getting treylon burks in as a option. He could turn out to be a fantastic X receiver for us at low cost. Get him for camp and I am sure he might prefer to catch balls from Drake as opposed to other QBs. But guess he might have competition from Bengals , bills and also chiefs.

DarrylS said:

It's difficult to assess whether Dobbs is a good or bad option as he only threw 10 passes last year...
Thought DeVito was our planned back up...

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Backup QB is not a good place to invest in. The season is lost if Maye is out for any amount of time. I would rather see DeVito and a developmental QB or two to provide depth than spend resources on a veteran with a low ceiling. Best case the team finds a diamond in the rough that they can trade.

Invest in the OL (C, G).

Get Hendrickson at Edge as he's the only real game wrecking player on the market.

Devin Lloyd would be a nice get at LB to pair with Spillane.

Need a FS. Not familiar with any of them.

With existing cap space they have, I think they should look at:

1) a starting LG

2) retaining or replacing Hawkins at FS

3) retaining or replacing Chaisson on the edge

4) adding one more serious play time edge

5) retain or replace Tonga

6) upgrade Hooper at TE2

7) Possibly adding another LB next to Spillane



Beyond that, if they can agree with some younger WRs/TEs I'd be ok with letting Henry and/or Diggs go to swap out that salary cap slot for longer term pieces. But that depends on the player(s) they can get.

TheRainMaker said:

Invest in the OL (C, G).

Get Hendrickson at Edge as he's the only real game wrecking player on the market.

Devin Lloyd would be a nice get at LB to pair with Spillane.

Need a FS. Not familiar with any of them.

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This is it ! Bolster defense ! If need be use the money saved by cutting diggs.

Hopefully Landry heals and comes on towards mid of season and we have a solid defense so that Maye doesn't need to do much .

Let's hope campbell and wilson improve and get a free agent veteran as LG . Concentrate on zone runs on left side and misdirections. This way dependency on game changing receiver is less. We might lose some games when the offense is on a tear but will be battle hardened in playoffs. Just get any vet boundary receiver who can win contested catches or at least knock it off. Allow Chism and williams to mann the slot along with pop .
Diggs is redundant if we can get Hendrickson for say 23-27 million. He will help set edge for next 3 years. Isaiah likely on 7+ million would be a good signing.

Toofy said:

This is it ! Bolster defense ! If need be use the money saved by cutting diggs.

Hopefully Landry heals and comes on towards mid of season and we have a solid defense so that Maye doesn't need to do much .

Let's hope campbell and wilson improve and get a free agent veteran as LG . Concentrate on zone runs on left side and misdirections. This way dependency on game changing receiver is less. We might lose some games when the offense is on a tear but will be battle hardened in playoffs. Just get any vet boundary receiver who can win contested catches or at least knock it off. Allow Chism and williams to mann the slot along with pop .
Diggs is redundant if we can get Hendrickson for say 23-27 million. He will help set edge for next 3 years. Isaiah likely on 7+ million would be a good signing.

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You want to cut the top receiver on the team after he was the teams best receiver while coming back early and recovering from an ACL so we don’t have to have him when he’s fully healthy? Genius. Chess vs checkers.

Stu Pidassle said:

Backup QB is not a good place to invest in. The season is lost if Maye is out for any amount of time. I would rather see DeVito and a developmental QB or two to provide depth than spend resources on a veteran with a low ceiling. Best case the team finds a diamond in the rough that they can trade.

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With a QB on a rookie deal, the backup QB has a dual role: literally on the field, and also as a mentor. Dobbs is here more for the latter than the former. I don't think Maye is ready to be the most experienced QB on the roster just yet.

If we see him improve this year, then I expect that to happen in '27 or '28.

Grogan14 said:

1, Backup QB, need someone better than Dobbs: Kenny Pickett. Garroppolo, Sam Howell, Trey Lance

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Dobbs and Devito don't have a ton of experience and probably don't offer Maye much insight at this point...plus Josh has seen it all. Camp arms..that's all they offer the team. I prefer someone like Jimmy G be the backup who has a good understanding of the system and a lot of NFL experience.

Grogan14 said:

2. RB- Kenneth Gainwelll, Tyler Allgier

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We need to replace Gibson and I think it should come from the draft.

Grogan14 said:

3. WR- Rashid Shaheed, Treylon Burke, Romeo Doubs, Jouan Jennings

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We don't need to change the WR group for 2026

Grogan14 said:

4. TE- David Njoku, Dallas Goedert, Noah Fant

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We need a young, dynamic TE that can both block and catch but I'm not sure that player exists in this draft.

Grogan14 said:

5. OL- Jonah Williams, Connor Mcgovern, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Zion Johnson, Robert Jones, Dillon Radon, Fred Johnson

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I prefer OL is addressed again in the draft...rounds 1-3.

Grogan14 said:

6. Edge- Dremont Jones, Jaelen Phillips, Kwity Paye, Boye Mafe

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I absolutely want Phillips signed and Chaisson re-signed...I don't care that it's a deep Edge draft class.

Grogan14 said:

7. LB- Quay Walker, Devin Lloyd, Nakobe Dean

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Any of these 3 will do: Quay Walker, Devin Lloyd, Nakobe Dean

WR is a need.

Maye needs a WR who gets open quick and catches everything.

RB is also a need. NE needs to add a power RB for running between the OTs and short yardage.

I love David Njoku. Let Hooper go and keep Henry as a leader. Njoku is 29 and a good blocker and receiver. It would be an instant upgrade, but we still need a starting TE. The TE position is not as strong in this year's draft. Kenyon Sadiq is in the 18-30 range. Max Klare is between rounds 2-3, but not a great blocker.

Grogan14 said:

1, Backup QB, need someone better than Dobbs: Kenny Pickett. Garroppolo, Sam Howell, Trey Lance

2. RB- Kenneth Gainwelll, Tyler Allgier

3. WR- Rashid Shaheed, Treylon Burke, Romeo Doubs, Jouan Jennings

4. TE- David Njoku, Dallas Goedert, Noah Fant

5. OL- Jonah Williams, Connor Mcgovern, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Zion Johnson, Robert Jones, Dillon Radon, Fred Johnson

6. Edge- Dremont Jones, Jaelen Phillips, Kwity Paye, Boye Mafe

7. LB- Quay Walker, Devin Lloyd, Nakobe Dean


Factoring inn wanting to get younger and cheaper
exceptions on younger are Garropolo, Goedert

Will cost big $- Shaheed, Jonah Williams, Jean Phillips, Devin Lloyd

I think splurging on Phillips is worth it

Click to expand...

You said "position of need" then listed off every position with the exception of CB, Safety and DT.

Sorry, but WR is not a position of need. RB is not a Position of need. Back-up QB is not a position of need.

Position of need = areas where the previous performance was less than average and/or depth is a concern because of pending free agents.


1) Kenny Pickett and Trey Lance would not be upgrades over Dobbs. Many have said to cut Dobbs, elevate Devito and draft a QB..
2) Pats actually have decent depth here with Stevenson, Henderson and Jennings. They are likely going to look at the draft and use 1 of their Day 3 picks (they have 8).
3) WR is NOT a position of need,
4) None of the 3 TEs you mention address the run blocking issues. Why not look at Daniel Bellinger who blocks well and was under-utilized by the NYG?
5) Jonah Williams failed to complete each of the last 2 years. Zion Johnson is not a good guard. Dillon Radunz is not an improvement. Is Fred Johnson anything but a bench guy? Is he better than Durant, Munford or even Lowe? Robert Jones broke a bone in his neck last year and has only had 1 healthy season in 5. He's also not a good guard. . AVT is coming off another injury as well. Shouldn't be relied upon for a starting position. Not with missing games in 3 of the last 5 years. McGovern is a good target.
6) Jones might be worth it. Phillips won't be. Paye has issues with missed tackles. Mafe would be a decent add, but he's a rotational player, not a starter.
7) Does Walker actually improve the defense? He's mediocre against the run and is just as bad in coverage as our current LBs. Nakobe Dean can't stay healthy.

Depth a CB is a need. They have no one who can come off the bench to be an adequate outside corner. Alex Austin regressed to the point where he was pulled from defensive snaps.

Safety is a need unless Jaylinn Hawkins is re-signed.

Toofy said:

Devito is good and has high completion rate . I am ok to continue with him.

Likely I agree . Hope we can get him for 7-9 million a year

Sign me for any of the free agent pacific islanders as olinemen . The hit ratio is pretty high for them as linemen.

I actually wouldn't mind getting treylon burks in as a option. He could turn out to be a fantastic X receiver for us at low cost. Get him for camp and I am sure he might prefer to catch balls from Drake as opposed to other QBs. But guess he might have competition from Bengals , bills and also chiefs.

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Likely isn't worth $4M a year. Let alone 7-9M. No thanks.

Treylon Burks can't stay healthy. What's the point?

Zuma said:

I prefer OL is addressed again in the draft...rounds 1-3.

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I expect us to draft an OL in the first three rounds, most likely in the first.
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This is in addition to signing at least two in free agency: a veteran backup LT, inexpensive camp competition (probably Munford) and a veteran LG. in ADDITION, we need to extend or replace Onwenu.
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This should be our #1 focus, along with re-signing or replacing our free agents on Defense.

I do expect us to draft an EDGE player and perhaps a DT, but that's gravy.

Grogan14 said:

1, Backup QB, need someone better than Dobbs: Kenny Pickett. Garroppolo, Sam Howell, Trey Lance

2. RB- Kenneth Gainwelll, Tyler Allgier

3. WR- Rashid Shaheed, Treylon Burke, Romeo Doubs, Jouan Jennings

4. TE- David Njoku, Dallas Goedert, Noah Fant

5. OL- Jonah Williams, Connor Mcgovern, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Zion Johnson, Robert Jones, Dillon Radon, Fred Johnson

6. Edge- Dremont Jones, Jaelen Phillips, Kwity Paye, Boye Mafe

7. LB- Quay Walker, Devin Lloyd, Nakobe Dean


Factoring inn wanting to get younger and cheaper
exceptions on younger are Garropolo, Goedert

Will cost big $- Shaheed, Jonah Williams, Jean Phillips, Devin Lloyd

I think splurging on Phillips is worth it

Click to expand...

Obviously, folks need to consider where the money will come from. Folks here seem to all agree that we will not spend more than 3 players at $10M AAV or more. Most significant upgrades would cost that. Also, most don't think that Vrabel will be spending a lot. There is an effect of going from $130M to $40M available, especially with the need of an Gonzo extension.

Interesting reading. Lots of opinions. Here's what I'm coming down to as we close in on FA. For the most part I have been big on improving our edge situation in FA (and the draft), but I feel there is a big urgency in fixing the LG spot and returning Wilson back to the C position. Getting a better than average LG would go a LONG way in improving the OL. I don't necessarily want to do that in the draft, since we would run into the same problem again regardless of how good the rookie would be, he would STILL be a rookie. Now WHO that vet LG should be the next question and one I have no clue to. I'll trust to Pats to make this decision, but I hope they do it early and with a guy most people will be happy with.

Sounds like there are several decent prospects to fill the job with the biggest complaint being several of them have suspect injury histories. Well the game is such that EVERYONE gets injured these days, so I'll place competence over injury risk and sign the best guy and hope for the best. Who is the best LG out there regardless of injury risk?

BTW- I was thinking about Strange and his release. It was completely understandable given the expected timeline the team was on at that time. Moving on from him during a rebuilding phase make perfect sense. His patellar injury was going to slow him down for start of 2025 anyway. Well, he ended up the season as one of Miami's best OLmen and IIRC is a FA. Perhaps a reunion would be a thought?
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