1 sneaky free agent Patriots will truly miss if he leaves New England

The New England Patriots may have made it to the postseason before being unceremoniously dispatched, but the roster might still be in line for a major facelift when the offseason comes around. All eyes will be on the defense, but the offense is going to lose some contributors.

The Patriots need to make sure that the offensive line stays intact. While they were volatile at times, they were an above-average unit that helped a rookie quarterback without amazing athletic ability in Mac Jones stay on his feet during his fantastic rookie season.

While names like JC Jackson and Trent Brown immediately spring to mind as some of New England’s top targets, a player like Ted Karras helped fill holes at center and guard while providing rock-solid pass protection.

The Patriots’ offensive line was boosted by Karras, who rejoined the Patriots after a one-year cameo with the Miami Dolphins. While not a household name, Karras has been a rock-solid presence on the line, and he would set that group back if he decided to go elsewhere.

The New England Patriots must try to keep Ted Karras.

After an up-and-down 2019 season and one season as an average center in Miami, Karras was inserted into the starting lineup in a Week 5 win against the Texans and never looked back. With experience as both a guard and center, Karras has earned a starting role next season.

New England is the king of replacing proven veteran talent with rookies on cheaper contracts, so they could draft a player like local product Zion Johnson and move off of Karras. That would be unwise, as trying to make the inexperienced Johnson into a star in his first season could be a risky proposition for this offense.

Karras was quoted as saying he “would love to come back” to New England, but he is well aware of the nature of the NFL. Teams desperate for interior offensive line help will look for any and every possible option to get better in this area, and Karras represents someone who could provide starter-like production without being a financial anchor.

Karras is not the second coming of Logan Mankins, but in a league where versatility and quality interior line play is at more of a premium than ever before, Karras is the perfect high-floor backup and spot starter. New England might need to slightly break the bank to bring him back, but his play warranted it.