{"id":65799,"date":"2026-02-24T04:30:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T09:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=65799"},"modified":"2026-02-24T08:41:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T13:41:00","slug":"morse-under-the-radar-free-agents-and-morses-morsels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/02\/24\/morse-under-the-radar-free-agents-and-morses-morsels\/","title":{"rendered":"MORSE: Under the Radar Free Agents and Morse’s Morsels"},"content":{"rendered":"

Before we start to look at potential Patriots Free Agent signings, I have to bring down everyone\u2019s expectations.<\/p>\n

Even though, according to Patscap Miguel Benzan, the Patriots have $41M under the cap, Robert Kraft will likely not allow them to spend to that amount.\u00a0 According to Greg Bedard at Boston Sports Journal, Kraft has stated that he will spend one year (last year they spent $46M over the cap) to balance out the three-year average that is required by the Collective Bargaining agreement.\u00a0 The Patriots have a major need on the Edge. \u00a0That means they won\u2019t spend this year and next.\u00a0 Bedard estimates the Patriots will have up to $33M to spend.\u00a0 That number would include anything they give to Christian Gonzalez in a pro-rated Signing Bonus in his re-negotiated contract extension.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf your favorite team’s general manager can’t find a good fit at edge rusher this offseason, tell him to take a hike.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0This is the opening line from ESPN’s Ben Solak on the upcoming Free Agents and Draft Prospects for every position. Ranking deepest, thinnest positions in NFL free agency, draft – ESPN<\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0 Take the time to read the entire article.<\/p>\n

Some initial thoughts:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. K\u2019Lavon Chaisson is an Undrafted Free Agent, and Harold Landry will be 30, coming off knee surgery in this off-season.\u00a0 Chaisson has indicated that he wants to come back and play for Mike Vrabel.\u00a0 Pro Football Focus ranks Chaisson as the #91 ranked Free Agent in their top 250 Free Agents.\u00a0 He is hurt with a loaded Free Agent class and a loaded Draft Class.\u00a0 Spotrac has an estimated AAV at slightly under $9M a season.\u00a0 If the Patriots offered anything near that number, he should jump at the chance to sign with them, given this loaded market.\u00a0 Anything more than that, they should walk away.<\/li>\n
  2. The Patriots need a left guard.\u00a0 It was stupid of the Patriots to go into the season with rookies at Left Tackle and Left Guard. \u00a0\u00a0The Patriots were able to get away with it for most of the season because of the weak competition they were playing.\u00a0 In the playoffs, they were completely exposed.\u00a0 Any rookie trying to start on the line needs a strong veteran presence next to them so they can lean on their experience.\u00a0 Neither rookie could lean on the other, and their mistakes were compounded.\u00a0 Jared Wilson needs to move back to center.\u00a0 No Offensive Guard can play in a two-point stance, and that is what Wilson ended up doing last year. \u00a0In my opinion, Ben Brown played better than Wilson and should have been the Left Guard.<\/li>\n
  3. There are several players to watch as Free Agent left Guards.\u00a0 Joel Bitonio would be a one-year rental as a 35-year-old veteran.\u00a0 He has not decided what he is going to do, whether he will retire or come back as a Free Agent.\u00a0 There are several other names to watch.\u00a0 David Anderson and Alijah Vera-Tucker are younger players, but Anderson is going to break the bank, and Vera-Tucker has a bad Injury history.\u00a0 That leaves Pittsburgh Left Guard Issac Seumalo.\u00a0 PFF ranks him the #17 Free Agent on the market. \u00a0The 10-year veteran will be 32 next season. He finished with a 74.8 PFF Grade,12th<\/sup> of 81 Guards.\u00a0 Spotrac has him with a Market Value of $9.6M AAV.\u00a0 That may be more than the Patriots are willing to pay.\u00a0 Vera-Tucker, the former 1st<\/sup> Round pick of the Jets, is a good player when he is on the field.\u00a0 The trouble is that he has had three season-ending injuries in his brief career.\u00a0 He would be a low-cost signing with big question marks.<\/li>\n
  4. I identified Tight End as a need last draft season.\u00a0 \u00a0I believe the Patriots made a mistake by not selecting Mason Taylor in the 2nd<\/sup> round and taking Tre\u2019Veyon Henderson.\u00a0 This isn\u2019t a knock against Henderson, who had a very good rookie season, but the fact that they didn\u2019t look to the future and take a TE.\u00a0 The Patriots got away with two 31-year-old Tight Ends last season.\u00a0 The other fact was that the Draft Class last year was loaded with good running backs, and they could have taken one later in the draft.\u00a0 That being said, there are a few really good Tight Ends available in Travis Kelce, Dallas Goedert, Kyle Pitts, David Njoku, and Isaiah Likely (Everett and Malden HS) on the market.\u00a0 \u00a0All of these players are out of the Patriots’ reach.<\/li>\n
  5. There are two players I am interested in.\u00a0 The first is Charlie Kolar, the 3rd<\/sup> TE in Baltimore.\u00a0 He was targeted just 13 times with 10 receptions for 142 Yards (14.2 YPC) and 2 TDs.\u00a0 The 6\u20196\u201d, 257-pound TE is a decent blocker, too.\u00a0 Spotrac projected his market value at $1.5M AAV.\u00a0 The other player is Foster Moreau, a blocking TE from New Orleans.\u00a0 He is not much in the pass game, but the Patriots played with Jack Westover as the 3rd<\/sup> TE all season.\u00a0 Anything is better than Westover.<\/li>\n
  6. There are quite a few Runningbacks available, and one name stands out to me, and that is Tyler Allgeier from Atlanta.\u00a0 Allgeier is ranked 30th<\/sup> by PFF among the top 250 Free Agents.\u00a0 The 5\u201911\u201d 220-pound bowling ball of a back had 142 carries for 514 yards, 3.6 YPC, and 8 TDs.\u00a0 He also added 14 receptions on 16 Targets for 96 yards (6.9 YPC) and 0 TDs.\u00a0 His Spotrac number is $1.8M AAV for the 25-year-old back.\u00a0 The Patriots released Antonio Gibson today, coming off major knee surgery.\u00a0 Releasing Gibson saved them $2.135M off the cap.\u00a0 That savings could pay for Allgeier or Kolar.<\/li>\n
  7. Jaylinn Hawkins is the #1 Free Safety by PFF.\u00a0 He ranks 37th<\/sup> in their top 250 Free Agents.\u00a0 Hawkins was the 70th<\/sup> ranked Free Agent by PFF.\u00a0 This is what PFF had to say about Hawkins \u201cHawkins was one of the league’s most quietly impressive defenders in 2025. His 81.3 overall PFF grade ranked sixth among qualifying safeties entering the AFC championship game, and he also placed second in PFF run-defense grade (86.3) and seventh in PFF coverage grade (79.7). At 28, Hawkins is well-positioned to command a lucrative contract, whether he remains in New England or hits the open market.\u00a0 Spotrac has him at $8.3M Market Value AAV.\u00a0 That is a reasonable amount.\u00a0 The competition at Free Safety is immense.\u00a0 There are 5 other Free Safeties expected to command more than Hawkins.\u00a0 Additionally, the Draft Class is loaded, further drawing down his market.\u00a0 He has stated that he wants to return, and anything near the $8M mark, he should take.\u00a0 The Draft is so loaded, I might take two safeties. Hawkins is 28, and this will probably be his last contract.<\/li>\n
  8. An alternative to Hawkins is Andre Cisco of the Jets. CBS Sports had this to say about Cisco \u201cHe appeared in just eight games in 2025 due to a pectoral injury and is now back on the market at just 25 years old. Cisco’s numbers as a tackler and in coverage were down this season, but he had been solid in both areas earlier in his career. Plus, it’s not as if Cisco had a ton of talent around him in what was a rough year for the Jets. If the ball production returns, he’ll be a valuable contributor again in 2026.\u201d\u00a0 Cisco had no interceptions in those 8 games played.<\/li>\n
  9. The linebacker position is a position of need for the Patriots.\u00a0 However, they won\u2019t have the money under the cap to pay for a top free-agent linebacker, nor do they have a top-10 draft pick to select one of the top prospects.\u00a0 Dennis Gardeck is an under-the-radar LB \/ DE who played for Jacksonville.\u00a0 He is mostly a special-teams player and situational pass rusher.\u00a0 In 2025, he had just 2.5 Sacks.\u00a0 But for players with at least 100 pass rushing snaps, he had the #2 Pressure Rate in the league at 19.5%.\u00a0 The 6\u20191\u201d, 242-pound Linebacker can also play TE and Fullback.\u00a0 He has 4.57 speed, which will be an advantage on ST.\u00a0 Spotrac has his Market Salary as $2.5M AAV for the 31-year-old, 8-year veteran.<\/li>\n
  10. At Wide Receiver, Romeo Doubs is a 26-year-old, 4th-year underachiever.\u00a0 \u00a0On average over a 17-game schedule, Doubs would be targeted 92 Targets and 58 Receptions for 698 yards, 12.0 YPC, and 6 TDs.\u00a0 His Spotrac Market Value is projected at $12M.\u00a0 The 6\u20192\u201d, 202-pound receiver possesses strong hands but limited 4.52 speed.\u00a0 Pro Football Focus has him as the #44 Free Agent, but also lists him as an ideal #3 receiver.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Morse’s Morsels<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Combine Activities<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    Players started to arrive on Sunday.\u00a0 The PK, DL & LB were the 1st<\/sup> to arrive.\u00a0 On Monday, they have Registration, Pre-Exam, and Team Interviews.\u00a0 On Tuesday, they have the physical exams, recorded studies, and teaminterviews.\u00a0 On Wednesday, it\u2019s the ortho exam, media interviews, kicking workout, NFLPA meetings, and team interviews.\u00a0 Thursday, they have measurements and on-field workouts.\u00a0 Friday, they finish up with bench press, and then they depart.\u00a0 Each of the 4 groups progresses this way through Monday of next week.<\/p>\n

    Patriots Hire Defensive Assistant<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    Pete Thamel of ESPN.com reported that B.J. Edmonds would leave his post as the Southern Miss running backs coach to join the Patriots. Thamel’s colleague Mike Reiss reports that the Patriots\u00a0are listing\u00a0Edmonds as a defensive assistant.<\/p>\n

    Edmonds worked as a coaching intern for the Patriots last summer and had only been in his role at Southern Miss for a short time before opting to make the move to the NFL.<\/p>\n

    Edmonds worked as a defensive analyst at Duke for the last two seasons, and he was an assistant at Utah State for three years before joining the Blue Devils.<\/p>\n

    Patriots Release Antonio Gibson<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    As mentioned above, the Patriots have released RB Antonio Gibson.\u00a0 Gibson was hurt on a kickoff return and required knee surgery.\u00a0 His release frees up $ 2.131M in cap space.\u00a0 Gibson had a big Week 2, 90-yard Kickoff Return TD against Miami.<\/p>\n

    Eliot Wolf Scheduled to Speak at the Combine Tuesday at 10AM<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Contrary to the previous administration, Eliot Wolf is scheduled to meet with the National Media at 10 on Tuesday at the Combine.\u00a0 I suspect the interview and questions will have benign answers, as I am sure they will not disclose anything on Free Agency, Draft Strategy, or players they are going to interview.\u00a0 Mike Reiss reported on Sunday that Head Coach Mike Vrabel will speak at the Combine on Wednesday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Breaking down Patriots’ free agency, cap space, and key needs like Edge, LG, TE, RB, and S. An in-depth look at under-the-radar FA targets & Combine news.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":64203,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10],"tags":[24211,23446,24336,23806,23698,664,44,24315,805,23931,22959,24214,24078,24206,24337],"class_list":["post-65799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-patriots-news","tag-edge-rusher","tag-eliot-wolf","tag-issac-seumalo","tag-jaylinn-hawkins","tag-klavon-chaisson","tag-mike-vrabel","tag-new-england-patriots","tag-nfl-combine","tag-nfl-free-agency","tag-offensive-line","tag-romeo-doubs","tag-running-back","tag-salary-cap","tag-tight-end","tag-tyler-allgeier"],"yoast_head":"\nMORSE: Under the Radar Free Agents and Morse's Morsels<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Breaking down Patriots' free agency, cap space, and key needs like Edge, LG, TE, RB, and S. 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Analyzing the draft since ESPN first started to televise it in 1980 and former writer for the Lowell Sun Newspaper.","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/author\/markmorse5\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/USATSI_27933802_168390408_lowres-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65799"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65799\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65808,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65799\/revisions\/65808"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}