New England Patriots Not Involved In Evan Mathis Sweepstakes
By Cyrus Geller
When the Philadelphia Eagles released Evan Mathis last week, Patriots fans across the country, including myself, immediately began clamoring for him. Mathis is a Pro-Bowler at a position where New England is weak right now, and if they managed to add him to their offensive repertoire this offseason, they would instantly go from dangerous, to downright scary.
However according to John Clayton of ESPN, the Pats are not one of the finalists for Mathis, as he is looking at four other teams.
"The Broncos aren’t among the four main teams looking at Mathis (Indianapolis, Kansas City, Miami and San Francisco)."
So there you have it. The Patriots aren’t one of the main teams pursuing Mathis, so barring an unforeseen development (which is always possible), it doesn’t sound like Bill Belichick and company will nab the Pro-Bowler for the 2015 season.
Looking at the Patriots’ depth chart on the interior, this doesn’t change much. Right now, the left guard position is a battle between the likes of Tre’ Jackson, Shaq Mason, and Josh Kline. Since New England elected to not re-sign Dan Connolly this offseason, this is a legit positional battle, meaning that whoever earns it this offseason will be the starter on opening day.
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My money is on Jackson winning the job, because he is easily the most talented of the three. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2015 draft, but a lot of NFL draft experts believed he was a second round talent, especially as a run blocker. I am excited to see how his big, physical presence affects Tom Brady‘s offense in 2015.
I also want to say that there is still a good chance the Patriots decide to bring back Connolly before the 2015 season gets underway, for depth if nothing else. He is a proven veteran in this league, who also knows this offense. Depth is key in building a football team, and nobody knows that better than Bill Belichick.