Patriots: Remaining free agents New England must avoid

2. Malik Hooker

The Patriots’ organization was hit with shocking news earlier this offseason when longtime starting safety Patrick Chung announced his retirement.

The decision left New England with a hole in their secondary, and they went out and patched it up in free agency by signing Jalen Mills, who, despite boasting experience at both cornerback and safety, is clearly better served at the latter.

This could incentivize the front office to target free agent Malik Hooker, who remains unsigned despite meeting with handful of teams over the last few months after the Colts declined his fifth-year option. The former first-round pick has incredible upside but an equally alarming injury history, which includes suffering a torn Achilles in Week 2 of last season.

The Patriots don’t need to spend their remaining cap space on another safety.

Hooker’s expected to make a full recovery and could likely be signed to a cheap one-year deal, which fits right into the Patriots’ contract wheelhouse.

With that being said, however, New England should move forward with their safety room as presently constructed: Devin McCourty and Kyle Dugger as the starters, with Mills and the underrated Adrian Phillips coming off the bench.

Hooker would be an intriguing signing for any team, as he (despite appearing in just 36 games over his first four seasons) has already proven to be one of the best ballhawk safeties in the NFL. When it comes to the Patriots, however, he just wouldn’t be worth the risk.