Free Agency

10 Free Agents in Patriots Wheelhouse

February 22, 2017 by Mike Dussault

The Patriots are never interested in winning the offseason. During free agency they’re interested in rounding out their team so that they have no glaring needs heading into the draft. Not to say there won’t be needs still, but by mid-April the Patriots should have a 53-man roster that they could roll out there and make the playoffs. Hey, times are good.

Searching for external free agents when there are so many internal free agents to deal with can be futile. Still, there’s only a set number of players who really fit what the Patriots do, so identifying those players is a little easier.

I already took a look at five splashy signings the Pats could make. But let’s face it, splashy free agent signings are rarely their thing, unless you count signing your own players. I’m sure re-signing Dont’a Hightower, Malcolm Butler and a couple of the other significant free agent Patriots would be plenty splashy for all of us.

There are two types of external the Patriots primarily target. First, the talented but misused. You hope that some Brady and Belichick magic rubs off and all of sudden you’ve got a Rob Ninkovich, Mike Vrabel or Wes Welker or any of the other hundred or so of these guys who have helped build the dynasty, going from castoff to star.

Second, the talented vet looking for one last shot at a ring. Think Chris Long, Andre Carter, Brian Waters, even Junior Seau. Those are the guys who fly under the radar, because you just can’t know who’s willing to, as Long put it, “play for five dollars” to be in New England.

Here’s a list of 10 more free agents who jumped out at me.

5 Potential Free Agent Splashes for Patriots

February 17, 2017 by Mike Dussault

Free agency can be overwhelming when you’re just a simple one-team blogger like me. There are just so many names, so many salaries, so many performances to take account of, that it’s hard to find great external fits.

And let’s face it, the Patriots don’t rely on early free agency for the core of their team.

Instead, they fill out the periphery, usually with depth players on short term deals like they did with Chris Hogan, Chris Long and Shea McClellin last season, or Jabaal Sheard in 2015. But really, they’re just as likely to find contributors during training camp or in season like Rob Ninkovich, Kyle Van Noy, Akeem Ayers, etc. as they are at this time of year.

Still, the Pats have a ton of cap space this season, and while the priorities remain signing their own players like Dont’a Hightower, Malcolm Butler and others first, the opportunity is definitely there in 2017 to make a splash in free agency and really improve the team.

Here are five players that I think are good fits and could be viable candidates to fill some of the holes the Patriots have.

Time to Put Out the Blount

February 14, 2017 by Mike Dussault

This is the first in a series of Patriots internal free agent posts. You can find the full offseason plan here.

LeGarrette Blount is coming off the best season of his career. At 30 years old he put up 1,161 yards and a Patriots team record 18 touchdowns. However Blount was once again a total non-factor in the playoffs, putting up his worst playoff numbers in his three trips to the post-season with the Pats.

Blount didn’t draw much interest on the open market last season, re-signing with New England on a one-year, $1 million deal. He was coming off a season-ending hip injury which might’ve scared away some potential bidders.

Now, Blount’s deal is up again and despite his record-setting 2016, I think it’s time to let the veteran running back go and throw some youth at the position.

Crafting a Patriots Offseason Plan

February 13, 2017 by Mike Dussault

The last year has had some crazy Patriots personnel moves and there’s no reason to think this spring will be any different. The Patriots have a bunch of free agents and a bunch of cap space that has to go somewhere.

Will this be another soft defensive reset if they were to lose Logan Ryan, Dont’a Hightower, Alan Branch, Chris Long and Jabaal Sheard? Will those who have now won two Super Bowls seek to maximize their leverage?

As is always the case when we enter a Patriots offseason, anything goes. It might be exciting. It also might hurt. It might be a little scary. That’s the NFL in the free agency age. Especially with cold-hearted Bill Belichick.

Here’s a jumping off point for my views on the Patriots offseason. I’ll expand on each in then coming weeks. Perhaps my feelings will change, but right now, here’s what I think.

Pats Posits: Patriots 2017 Offseason Primer

February 12, 2017 by Mike Dussault

It is time to turn the page to the Patriots 2017 offseason, the relaxed portion of the football cycle where it’s all about team building. I reserve the right to dive back into 2016 without notice, but now the door to 2017 is fully open and there’s plenty of work to do.

Many blogs jump right into the draft but over the years I’ve tried to keep focused on the task at hand, so I will start with internal free agents, then external free agents and then finally, the draft.

I’m going to avoid getting too analytical in this kickoff post. This will just be more of a general overview of what’s to come in the next few months. It’s about information gathering and getting a feel for where the holes are and, most importantly, how the Pats can stay ahead of the curve. That often means making hard decisions on players we all love.

First, let’s start with the depth chart, with all the free agents (restricted and unrestricted) removed. Those highlighted in light red are entering the last years of their deals and could be extension candidates. Those highlighted in green are possible cut/restructure candidates. Those in red are dealing with injuries from the season. Starters are bolded.

Note – Sebastian Vollmer spent the season on the PUP list so he should still be under contract, though it’s expected he could retire.

Making the Case for a Long-Term Logan Ryan Contract

January 26, 2017 by Mike Dussault

I’m trying to keep a focus on the Atlanta Falcons and the Super Bowl the next two weeks, but it’s hard to ignore the offseason that will start immediately after the Patriots win or lose in Houston. Most of all, I’m wondering about the defense, where there are multiple starters that are due to hit free agency, in no particular order:

Things were even more complicated at the end of last season, when we thought Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins would be in that group as well. Just because the numbers have been thinned doesn’t make it any less complicated. In fact, the last month or so of the season has really turned my priority list upside down, wondering where the Patriots can and should find the best deals.

NFL’s Best GMs 2016: Belichick #1 – Rotoworld.com

April 14, 2016 by Mike Dussault

The reputation of “Bill Belichick, coach” has typically outpaced that of “Bill Belichick, GM,” but just look at what he’s done this offseason. The Patriots needed a receiver. Badly. What they didn’t need to do was give Mohamed Sanu or Marvin Jones $35 million. So instead of overpaying mid-range talents who were available for a reason, Belichick looked for help where others rarely tread: The restricted free agent market. Chris Hogan is now a Patriot for the next three years at the bargain price of $12 million. As Belichick was bringing Hogan aboard he was shipping star Chandler Jones out. The master of “one year too early instead of one year too late,” Belichick knew he wouldn’t be re-signing Jones next offseason. In lieu of letting Jones walk for a compensatory pick, Belichick turned him into a second-rounder and first-round reclamation project, OG Jonathan Cooper. Hogan and Jones represent what Belichick has always been. A zigger in a group of zaggers, and a futurist who doesn’t look at this trophy case. Belichick is the greatest of all time because of the games he’s won in the fall and winter, but it’s the work he does in the spring and summer that sets the table.

Source: NFL’s Best GMs 2016 – Goal Line Stand – Rotoworld.com

Love that this comes out the day after Belichick makes one of the most notable moves of his personnel career, cutting a first-round pick just two seasons into his career. Yes, it’s easy to say Dominique Easley was the biggest disappointment of Belichick’s tenure with the Pats, but guess what? Belichick doesn’t care. At all.

My favorite are those who love to say “Belichick can’t draft”. To that I always say compared to who? Let’s talk about all the coach/GMs that have had 16 drafts with the same team and sustained this level of success. Oh right, there aren’t any others. Not to mention the Pats have rarely had any top-15 picks, where the truly elite talent in the draft is selected each year. Belichick has built and re-built this team on both sides of the ball, with complete turnover outside the quarterback position, and had literally no drop off.

The draft is a crapshoot and no one who matters is keeping score. Sometimes you hit on guys, sometimes you miss. There’s no exact science. But I can tell you we’re far better off drafting for value and fit over need — selecting multiple players in the middle rounds over one player in the early rounds. Belichick gets what a crapshoot the draft is and that’s why quantity always trumps the perceived quality of early round picks.