Potential Patriots?

This has been a very busy week with many rumors about possible Patriots signings in the future. If you are like me, you are wondering how the Patriots could possibly have any money left to spend, BUT who cares as long as we have the best possible team, right? Let’s take a look at these rumored future Patriots:

Matt Forte, RB

This is a somewhat older rumor that the Patriots might be interested in making a trade for the Chicago Bears star RB Matt Forte. I’ll squash this rumor right now before anyone gets hopeful. With the Patriots already having a pretty full RB core, adding another seems very unlikely, especially after adding the veteran Joseph Addai. It would be great to have a star RB like Forte; the Pats would have a serious running threat for once since Corey Dillon. The big reason this won’t happen is to save money for the future. The Patriots need all the money they have to re-sign TE Rob Gronkowski once his rookie contract runs out. This may even come at the expense of losing TE Aaron Hernandez, since Gronk will look to become the highest paid TE in the league and they probably will be unable to afford to pay both the salary they desire/deserve. With that said, don’t ever expect to see Forte in a Patriots uniform unless it’s at the tail end of his career.

Dallas Clark, TE

Signing Dallas Clark may be a legitimate possibility since the Patriots actually held a work-out for him this past week. Why add another TE when they already have Gronk, Hernandez, and Dan Fells? Depth seems the obvious answer. Since Fells will likely be a primarily blocking TE (if he even makes the final roster), the Pats need another TE that’s ready to step in if one of the stars goes down. Clark has proven himself to be an exceptional receiver and will definitely make an impact if signed. Perhaps his signing could have more meaning than just depth, however. During the playoffs last season, the Patriots used Hernandez as a running back, and he actually did pretty well. It confused the heck out of defenses and made the plays very difficult to predict. Now that Josh McDaniels is back as offensive coordinator, he is going to get really creative with the “Boston TE Party.” One possibility available with signing Clark is utilizing a three TE situation. With Gronk and Clark lined up as TEs, Hernandez in the backfield as RB, AND Wes Welker/Brandon Lloyd/Ochocinco lined up as receivers, Tom Brady would have too many throwing options for defenses to comprehend. This could just be wishful thinking, but we’ll see.

Jim Leonhard, DB

Since Jim Leonhard is a free agent the Jets have yet to re-sign, there is the possibility that the Pats could be interested in him. A proven play-maker, Leonhard would add depth to the safety position that currently consists of Pat Chung and… that’s it. I know the Pats signed Steve Gregory and drafted Travon Wilson, but let’s be honest, there’s no real depth at this position just yet. Not only is Leonhard a good fit for the defense, he has also proven himself as a good special teams player, which Bill Belichick values. If he can stay healthy, he could be a valuable asset to the team, not to mention it would annoy Rex Ryan that he lost another player to the Patriots; always an added bonus!

Dwayne Bowe, WR

Yea. Dwayne Bowe. I heard this rumor today and was shocked but intrigued. Since the Patriots have a history of trading with the Kansas City Chiefs, this trade isn’t so far fetched. With the current situation the Patriots are in with re-signing Welker, perhaps they would be interested in trading him to the Chiefs along with another player/picks, as the Chiefs won’t part with Bowe easily. It’s time for Welker to realize he needs Tom Brady way more than Brady needs him. Don’t get me wrong, Welker is one of the best WRs in the league and a valuable asset to the Patriots, but without Brady, he was, and likely will be, nothing. The Patriots have a history of letting star players go when contract negotiations have gone sour and harsh words were tossed around (i.e Asante Samuel, Richard Seymour, Deion Branch), so if Welker knew what was good for him, he would shut up and sign before he’s shipped out and we see Bowe in silver and blue.