Pats Posits: Patriots 2017 Offseason Primer

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.

Patriots Unrestricted Free Agents:

• Dont’a Hightower
• Martellus Bennett
• LeGarrette Blount
• Alan Branch
• James Develin
• Chris Long
• Jabaal Sheard
• Duron Harmon
• Logan Ryan
• Brandon Bolden
• Michael Floyd
• Barkevious Mingo

Patriots Restricted/Exclusive Rights Free Agents:

• Malcolm Butler
• Justin Coleman
• Cameron Fleming
• Geneo Grissom
• Mike Williams
• Brandon King

Draft Picks:

• 1st Round, 32nd Overall
• 2nd Round, 64th Overall
• 3rd Round, 96th Overall
• 3rd Round, via Cleveland for Jamie Collins (Compensatory)
• 4th Round, (they have one from Seattle as well, but that is the final Deflategate pound of flesh)
• 5th Round, via Denver for AJ Derby
• 5th Round, Projected Compensatory for Akiem Hicks
• 7th Round

Big Picture Thoughts

Yes, we’ll jump into prioritizing all these players but generally what does this Patriots team need? Here are some areas that jump out to me.

1. How much more can they/ do they want to squeeze out of the vets like Branch, Blount, and Long? Branch would have the priority of those three in my view, but it’s possible to replace the others with youth.
2. Need linebacker depth whether Hightower’s back or not. That’s the scariest position on the roster.
3. Two years in a row they’ve made a strong attempt to add a complimentary tight end with Gronk. Will they try that again in free agency or would this be a good time to invest in a draft pick at the tight end spot? Signs seem to be pointing toward Marty Bennett walking.
4. Cannon and Solder are locked in, but it might be a good time to find an athletic swing tackle backup (like I wanted them to last year).
5. Special Teams is so hard to project and tinker with in the offseason, but it’s critical when looking at guys like Bolden, Mingo, Grissom and King.
6. Jimmy Garoppolo is a major asset. I’d be surprised if the Pats moved him for anything other than a first round pick minimum. But if they were willing to use the Franchise Tag on Matt Cassel, they won’t hesitate to use it on Jimmy G next year.
7. The Pats have $61.2 million in cap space, there’s going to be a lot of action this offseason. My biggest question is the direction of the defense (per usual). This core has won two Super Bowls and now it’s time to pay up. Where will they spend their money? Is there a universe where Hightower walks?
8. I still believe Belichick would prefer to stick with guys who have come up in the system, rather than free agents who have a hit-or-miss quality. We saw that happen in 2005 (Monty Beisel, Chad Brown, Duane Starks) and it was the worst defense under Belichick. No matter how you cut it, a large portion of this cap space must go towards the defense, where six soon-t0-be unrestricted free agents played big roles this season.
9. This is where a high first round draft pick could be beneficial because the defense could use some young talent, especially at the linebacker spot.
10. Cyrus Jones must hit the reset button this offseason. He could be in line for a starting spot at cornerback if he progresses. Re-gaining his confidence as a punt returner will be a process.
11. Vincent Valentine was a really nice addition this year, giving them a nice pair of young tackles who can make plays.
12. The offense is in really good shape. The offensive line is all locked up, as are the primary weapons. Danny Amendola’s contract will require attention and there’s a hole at early down running back to fill, but outside of those easily manageable situations, there’s nothing major to address.

Coming Monday morning, crafting a plan for the offseason!