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Patriots Free Agency: Day #2 Updates

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The Patriots are once again following their model of allowing the market to settle before pouncing on all the value deals that will be available after the first 24-48 hours of free agency. Of course, this drives Patriots fans nuts and this year the main target of their ire is how quickly the wide receiver market has been cleaned out.

There’s little question the Pats need to add a starting-quality receiver in free agency. And despite being linked to almost every top wide out on the market, the Pats have yet to land anyone and the pickings are getting slimmer and slimmer. Mohamed Sanu is visiting Atlanta today but no one expects him to actually leave there for New England as he said he planned to do.

Rishard Matthews, the next in line target after Sanu, signed in Tennessee last night. So there’s not much left for the Pats, other than 35-year old Anquan Bolden, who could certainly fill a role in New England but is no longer an every down impact player who could extend the field horizontally and vertically.

Today’s latest update is that Chris Hogan, a receiver with a low RFA tender from Buffalo, will be visiting the team. Hogan has had a couple good performances against the Pats (2014 – 5/72, 1 TD, 2015 – 6/95) and is a former lacrosse player and even has punting experience. Yes, a lot of this seems right up Bill Belichick and the Patriots alley. Add in his 6’1″, 220 pound size and it seems like Hogan could be an undercover gem. You also might remember his nickname “7-11” because he was always open as a rookie free agent in Dolphins camp during Hard Knocks.

So yes, Hogan makes sense, but he’s certainly not the flashy name many are hoping for, but you know, that’s just how the Pats build their team, especially at the receiver position.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3-_rGZmymM

Running back is the other position of need and what’s been most interesting to me is that the Pats have been connected to Bilal Powell (who is re-signing with the Jets) and Benny Cunningham (scheduled to visit NE). My main focus of need was an early down pounder. CJ Anderson (also due for a visit) is a perfect model, as would fallback option Khiry Robinson (signed with Jets), but Powell and Cunningham are more receiving backs and the Pats have James White and Dion Lewis seemingly entrenched in that role.

So this makes me wonder how good the Pats feel about White. He certainly flashed some big plays once Lewis went down, but he also had just six catches on 14 targets in the AFC Championship. He also seems to bring little-to-no value actually running the ball, unlike Lewis who the Pats clearly love for obvious reasons.

At the very least it seems like the Pats want another option to pair with White until Lewis is fully recovered from ACL surgery. The Pats schedule is a tough one this year and will likely have some tough tests right out of the gate. There’s also the chance Tom Brady is suspended. It’d appear they’re taking no chances by having dynamic threats for September.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3a9lxi_alI

Patriots Free Agency Day #1 Recap

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Hard to write a recap when news is constantly breaking during free agency, but here’s what went down with the Pats in the first day, at least so far.

Yes, they did make a signing, special teamer/back up linebacker Ramon Humber who was with the Saints last year. Another classic Patriots opening salvo of free agency, going with a guy that not even a crazed Pats blogger like me was aware of. I’d relate this signing more to the retirement of Dane Fletcher and departure of Tavon Wilson (who signed with the Lions), than the starter’s hole at middle linebacker. This is the kind of player the Pats love, and the kind that gives them one of the best special teams units year in and year out. Many dismiss that, but we saw the impact bad special teams play can have firsthand last year.

There were reports Mohamed Sanu was signing for $7 million per year (a number the Pats are never going to touch) with the Falcons, although later in the day he told Josina Anderson of ESPN that he was scheduled to go to New England after Atlanta. We’ll see if he actually does. If not, the wide receiver market continues to thin out. Rishard Matthews and Jermaine Kearse seem like the only good X-WR fits left and neither one of them gets me too excited. There’s been reports the Pats are interested in Anquan Bolden and James Jones, but I don’t really see the benefit of either. Or let me put it like this, when was the last time a receiver over 30 not named Randy Moss came to New England and clicked with Brady and the offense? The answer — NO ONE.

Jeremy Kerley was released by the Jets and he’s a player that seems like the perfect fit for what the Pats like to do. No, he’s not filling the X-WR need, but he can easily backup Edelman and Amendola, if not make Amendola and his salary expendable. That will be something to watch in the coming days if they can figure the money out.

With Matt Forte ending up with the Jets, the Pats will have to look elsewhere and really, CJ Anderson and his low-round tender by the Broncos is the most attractive option to me. Anderson is young and exactly the kind of early down wrecking ball the Pats need. Another RB name that has popped up via Mike Loyko is Khiry Robinson, from New Orleans who is coming off a nasty leg fracture last season. Again, Robinson has that size and hard running ability the Pats need. So either of those guys are great fits and I’d assume Robinson to be the favorite with Denver doing everything they can to keep Anderson.