Patriots: Which players should stay and which should go?

Trent Brown should STAY

The Patriots essentially took a flier on Brown when they traded the 95th selection in last year’s draft to the San Francisco 49ers for the 143rd selection and Brown. The 6’8″ tackle, weighing a whopping 380 lbs, had mostly been unremarkable during his time in the Bay Area, and was considered expendable enough that the team jettisoned him even after signing their new franchise quarterback Jimmy Garropolo to a massive contract extension.

How often do you see a team commit that kind of money to their quarterback and then exile his blindside protector?

It almost never happens, but clearly Bill Belichick and the Patriots recognized the potential in Brown when they scooped him up in that trade. The return on their investment was substantial: Brown started all 16 games for the Patriots at left tackle – after playing right tackle during his time in San Fransisco – and finished the year as ProFootballFocus’ 37th-ranked tackle.

That might not sound too impressive initially, but considering his role on a Patriots’ offensive line that just allowed only one sack across three straight playoff victories over the Chargers, Chiefs, and Rams, it speaks volumes to Brown’s value on this squad.

Add in the fact that Isaiah Wynn, the player drafted originally to replace Nate Solder at left tackle, just missed all of last season with an Achilles injury, and it should be a no-brainer that the Patriots try and keep Brown around for at least one more season while Wynn continues to heal and develop.