Patriots: 4 acquisitions that could help New England turn everything around

3. Lavonte David

Lavonte David would be just what the doctor ordered for the Patriots’ defense.

The Buccaneers deserve to be celebrated for their remarkable Super Bowl run, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the front office was already getting down to business in terms of sorting out their laundry list of free agents.

Lavonte David falls under that category, and given that he’s spent his career with Tampa Bay, chances are he would take a discount to return to the franchise in the name of trying to repeat as a champion. However, at 31 years old and fresh off getting over the championship (and playoff) hump, there’s reason to believe that he could jump at the biggest contract presented to him.

That’s where the Patriots and their abundance of cap space enter the fold. Per the latest projections, they’re slated to have the fourth-most cap room in the league at $68.67 million, giving them plenty of flexibility to offer David a lucrative deal.

We all saw how much the Patriots missed Dont’a Hightower in the middle of their defense this past season, and if they could respond by pairing him with David, who’s easily one of the top players at the linebacker position despite not having the individual accolades to back it up, fans should expect the defense to return to its dominant ways next season.

David has been as consistent as any defender in the league since entering as a second-round pick in 2012, and he’s still performing at an elite level, averaging 120 tackles (11 for loss), 6.5 passes defended, five QB hits and three forced fumbles over the last two years. During that stretch, he played 99% of the defensive snaps, so he can be relied upon to be out there on virtually every play.

If those numbers don’t prove that David should be at or near the top of the Patriots’ shopping list this offseason, then nothing does.