New England Patriots: Signing Julius Peppers named bold offseason move

The Football Outsiders recently released their bold offseason move for all 32 NFL teams. What did they have the New England Patriots doing?

This offseason, the New England Patriots will likely be focusing their attention mostly on the defensive side of the football. Even though their numbers were pretty good overall in 2017, they were exposed in the Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Despite the Eagles starting their backup quarterback in Nick Foles, they were able to do whatever they wanted against the Patriots’ defense. With a good attack on the ground and through the air, New England was clearly exposed on the defensive side of the football.

While the Patriots’ pass defense struggled a bit early on in the season, they ended up being a strong unit once Stephon Gilmore was able to get used to the schemes in New England. What was the real weakness of the Patriots was at linebacker and their pass rush.

The loss of Dont’a Hightower early in the season was not good for the Patriots. As arguably their best player in the front seven, that loss hurt their pass rush and also made them thin at linebacker. Recently, the Football Outsiders named one bold move the Patriots should make this offseason. They believe that the Patriots should go after Julius Peppers to fix a pass rush that was rather poor in 2017. Here’s what they had to say.

"The Patriots sprung a leak on pass defense last season, particularly in the first four games. But one problem that was ever present was pass pressure. New England finished 10th in adjusted sack rate, thanks to a high number of coverage sacks, but ranked 27th in pressure rate, per statistics from Sports Info Solutions.Peppers had 9.5 sacks and 11 hurries (according to Sports Info Solutions charting) in just 500 snaps. The Charlotte Observer suggested that Peppers may only want to play for Carolina, but you have to wonder if a ring chase with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick would change his mind."

Like Tom Brady, father time has not caught up with Julius Peppers just yet. At 38-years-old, Peppers is coming off a great season with the Carolina Panthers. In 2017, Peppers was able to total 11 sacks and play in all 16 games for the Panthers.

Prior to his reunion with Carolina, he made it clear that he was coming back to help them win, not just for a farewell tour. With double-digit sacks in 2017, it was certainly not a farewell tour for Peppers.

Next: Predicting who stays and who goes on offense

While Peppers would be a great addition for the Patriots, convincing him to leave Carolina would be tough. He is clearly fond of playing for the organization, and the fact that they are coming off a good season might make him hesitant to leave.

If the Patriots come calling, Peppers will likely listen. However, it will be a tough sell to convince him to leave Carolina.