Official Free Agency 2018

[Uptown]

3 free agent fixes for Patriots pass rush problem

 

[supafly]

3 free agent fixes for Patriots pass rush problem

Murphy would be nice. Lynch should’ve been a throw in to the Garoppolo deal, and that’s at the very least.

 

[luuked]

Murphy would be nice. Lynch should’ve been a throw in to the Garoppolo deal, and that’s at the very least.

Trading right at the deadline without any leverage at all sucks.

 

[AzorianPats]

Yeh. How did that work out?
Interesting to see what kind of Defense Flores installs or is it same old ("sacks are not really important and a ton of yards but not points defense") that caught up to us in SB52. Does anyone disagree that it might be time to change gears on that?

My point is wampum or trade capitol. We need an infuse of talent especially on the D. Our middle of the D Line is mediocre at best. Our LB corps ROTS. We have some talent in the back end when they get it together, but need to replace Butler. We need upgrades. Who can the Patriots trade that might be redundant?

Chung is kind of a LB/S/Slot CB so he is more valuable.

McCourty was a CB. At 5'10" and 186 lbs, he might be the smallest safety in the NFL. He'll be 31 this summer. Could the 6'1" 204lb Eric Rowe convert to McCourty's job and still start Harmon at FS?

Cousins, the help we need is not coming from top tier FAs. We will be scrapping the 2nd and 3rd tier. That means slightly older or rehabbing talent.

In the middle of the Draft where we always are, looking at a kid like Flowers or even our luck with UDFA like Butler, Andrews and Jones, the Draft help takes a few years to blossom (Time vs. Tom). The blue chippers in the first round are drafted to be starters. The Saints took our pick for Ryan Ramczyk, and the Drafted Lattimore which were two key players on their sudden play-off Team.

So my theory is, I see not much help on the FA market other than a full court press for Zach Brown , the rehabbing Trent Murphy (a younger rehabbing Murphy could replace our rehabbing Hightower who will not play 16 this year as a given) and perhaps a Talib if he is let go.

This year's Draft is intriguing in positions we need. How do we move up or if not, create CAP space to secure at least one top FA,........ say an Ansah?

Thought? Would you trade Hightower and McCourty to Matt P and the Lions for their first round pick (number 20) if they would do that? Upgrade for the Lions and trusted disciples for Matt P.

CAP savings and a first rounder BB could take or trade.

DW Toys

Why would we trade Hightower? I get he's hurt often but he's the best player on our front 7. Not to mention the leader.

 

[Uptown]

Finding the next underutilized backup for the Patriots to sign

 

[luuked]

Finding the next underutilized backup for the Patriots to sign

If you are not excited by that you can always try to delve through some former early round picks going into their fourth year of the rookie deal that could become trade targets. FA this year looks dire so I think the value really is in trading for proven young players like we did with Cooks.

 

[captain stone]

Finding the next underutilized backup for the Patriots to sign

I really like both Jeff Janis & Kareem Martin, as far back as the 2014 draft process.

And nice catch with Corey Nelson too. I didn't know much if anything about him until just now, but he is defeinitely somebody to watch.

I love Zach Zenner as a Bolden replacement, but only if there is no draft pick compensation involved.

Not as much of a fan, however, of either Troy Nicklas (broken-down) or Will Clarke (weight/motivation?).

 

[captain stone]

If you are not excited by that you can always try to delve through some former early round picks going into their fourth year of the rookie deal that could become trade targets. FA this year looks dire so I think the value really is in trading for proven young players like we did with Cooks.

Not a big fan of trading draft picks for rentals. Three years of control is lost in the process, which then has to start all over again one year later.
Besides, we don't have any late-round picks to trade this year, except for our 6th-rounder, anyway.

 

[Love The Drake]

2019 NFL Free Agents Tracker

Players in last year of NFL contracts.

 

[HailHydra]

Patriots might look at Patrick Robinson. He's 30, but he's going to be paid significantly less than what one would expect from one of the best CBs in the league (think 7 mill). He was rated the 7th highest corner in the league by PFF, and was the best slot corner.

 

[maineman209]

Finding the next underutilized backup for the Patriots to sign

Another great catch!

These guys seem like typical Pats off-season pickups, especially with their ST contributions. Nice to read some scouting reports that get that part.

Except maybe for Niklas. I never saw much of an NFL future for him. OTOH, I liked Janis and Zenner for the Pats coming out of college. Martin and Clarke were on my radar, too, in 2014.

 

[maineman209]

Not a big fan of trading draft picks for rentals. Three years of control is lost in the process, which then has to start all over again one year later.
Besides, we don't have any late-round picks to trade this year, except for our 6th-rounder, anyway.

How about the #43 for Marcus Peters for two years at about $5M per year (if the Pats picked up his 5th-year option)?

 

[Love The Drake]

How about the #43 for Marcus Peters for two years at about $5M per year (if the Pats picked up his 5th-year option)?

I wish

 

[mgteich]

Reduce this list to four and I generally agree.

1) Rivers look awful in camp. We were very happy that Wise looked good, so we generally ignored the poor performance of Rivers. We expected much with Flowers, Ealy, Guy and Wise. Obviously Ealy didn't work out.

2) I truly hope that C Jones wouldn't have been out there over Bademosi. Bademosi looked pretty reasonable (for an emergency backup) when he played during the season. We have had many chances to see the performance of Cyrus Jones. His performance at corner has ranged from very, very bad to outright awful. As we all remember, he even failed as a backup returner.

Will have to disagree about needing to hit in the draft. Obviously that's the goal but I don't think it's the point where they need their picks on defense to be Week 1 starters or else they are screwed.

Pats were without 6 guys that would most likely would have saw the field in the SB

Hightower
McClellin
Valentine
Rivers
C. Jones
J. Jones (an injury that is being underestimated as he would have been out there over Richards and Bademosi and has shown he can play)


I know a guy like Cyrus Jones hasn't really done anything but I think the punt return stuff really got in his head last year.

I don't think it's even a debate if Hightower, Valentine, McClellin, Rivers and J.Jones are playing in that SB Pats defense would have made enough stops to win that game.

Hightower #1 LB and the best pass rushing LB
McClellin #3 LB
Rivers #2 DE (reports was he looking good in camp)
Valentine #3 DT
J. Jones #4/#5 CB
C. Jones #4/#5 CB

Just no way around the defense got hurt by injuries this year.

Will have to disagree about needing to hit in the draft. Obviously that's the goal but I don't think it's the point where they need their picks on defense to be Week 1 starters or else they are screwed.

Pats were without 6 guys that would most likely would have saw the field in the SB

Hightower
McClellin
Valentine
Rivers
C. Jones
J. Jones (an injury that is being underestimated as he would have been out there over Richards and Bademosi and has shown he can play)


I know a guy like Cyrus Jones hasn't really done anything but I think the punt return stuff really got in his head last year.

I don't think it's even a debate if Hightower, Valentine, McClellin, Rivers and J.Jones are playing in that SB Pats defense would have made enough stops to win that game.

Hightower #1 LB and the best pass rushing LB
McClellin #3 LB
Rivers #2 DE (reports was he looking good in camp)
Valentine #3 DT
J. Jones #4/#5 CB
C. Jones #4/#5 CB

Just no way around the defense got hurt by injuries this year.

 

[mgteich]

We know who "we" want: Robinson and/or Pters. Now it's up to Belichick to make it happen, or perhaps laugh at our choices.

 

[maineman209]

... perhaps laugh at our choices.

The one thing we can predict about BB is that he'll do something that none of us would have predicted.

So, really, even the most wild-*** guess has at least some possibility of happening.

 

[captain stone]

How about the #43 for Marcus Peters for two years at about $5M per year (if the Pats picked up his 5th-year option)?

No feckin way.

 

[Love The Drake]

No feckin way.

Chiefs would never trade him.

 

[captain stone]

Chiefs would never trade him.

They actually might, but I wouldn't want him anyway, and certainly NOT for #43.

 

[Uptown]

Why Patriots should sign Bashaud Breeland over Malcolm Butler

“I feel like I’m a top corner in this league,” Breeland told, via The Washington Post’s Kimberly A. Martin. “It hasn’t been shown, I haven’t gotten that publicity, but I feel like with my confidence level and how I believe in myself, I feel like I’m a top corner in this league. I’m just not one of those players that’s flashy, that’s going to make the flashy play that you want to see, you know what I’m saying? Really, what I do, I bring a lot more to the table — physicality, tackling. I’m a tackling corner. And I play my guy. I make plays.”

“These are all qualities that would resonate well with Bill Belichick.”

“But Breeland would bring more than just a defensive presence. He has served as a kick returner. During the 2017 season, he returned 10 kicks for 208 yards, and averaged 20.8 yards per return. That’s something Belichick, a lover of special teams, would appreciate.”

“Breeland is a spitting image of Butler, but his ceiling could be higher.”