To the shock of only those with no long-term memory, the Patriots weren’t active in the first few hours of free agency. As is usually the case, the Pats were content to sit back and let the market play out and will begin to make their moves in the coming days, with a focus on the mid-range veteran free agents that they’ve built a decade-plus of success on.
The good news? Julian Edelman is still out there (he’s scheduled to take a trip to Baltimore) as is Aqib Talib. Those two guys were the internal priorities as I saw it and with each passing hour the odds the Pats will retain them should slowly increase.
The external priority? A third defensive end and the really good news is that there are some big names (who might be past their prime but still) available, including Demarcus Ware, Julius Peppers, Justin Tuck and Jared Allen (who is visiting with the Broncos).
The only veteran free agent I was really interested in for the Pats that signed elsewhere was Lamarr Houston, who signed with Chicago.
Otherwise, the Pats still have plenty of options and should get good value as the monster deals have mostly been handed out.
Could they make a play for one of those defensive ends? I sure hope so. The Pats don’t need a starter, they need a rotational player with Chandler and Ninkovich, and any one of those guys could be a viable option in that role and likely affordable, though we’ll see what kind of money they expect.
Still plenty of action to come in the next few days, but for now, the Pats’ patience continues and should pay off.