Realistic free agent haul for the New England Patriots
The New England Patriots have a ton of cap space for the coming free agency period. What does a realistic haul look like? Just because a team has cap space, does not mean they need to go crazy in free agency. The “winners” of free agency aren’t usually the ones who are playing in late January and February.
The Patriots should be careful not to spend just because they have the money. They do have a good roster, so there may not be much of an argument to spend millions to bring in players.
They did do that two offseasons ago, and it did pay off, but they weren’t spending big money.
Let’s take a peek at a realistic free agent haul for the Patriots.
Realistic free agent haul for the New England Patriots
1. Kelvin Beachum, OL
Kelvin Beachum doesn’t seem to age. He’s been in the NFL since 2012 and has played in 147 games over his 11 year career. He’s played both left and right tackle in the NFL, spending time with the Steelers, Jaguars, Jets, and Cardinals.
Now a free agent, Beachum’s experience on the left and right side makes him a perfect fit to slide into either of the tackle positions.
2. Sam Martin, P
Jake Bailey was just about the worst punter in the NFL this season, shortly after signing a nice extension with the team after two excellent years. Being that he is a punter and their contracts aren’t expensive to begin with, the Patriots can move off of Bailey for cheap.
Enter, Sam Martin, the longtime Lions’ punter who has also spent time with the Broncos and Bills. He’d make a ton of sense to bring in to help the Patriots’ special team’s unit to get back to where they’ve been for years.
3. James Bradberry, CB
I do think the Patriots can land the top cornerback in free agency this year. The Patriots do have plenty of cap to invest in this position and Bradberry might enjoy being the CB1 for the Pats. Surely Bradberry would probably prefer to sign with another contender, but money talks.
New England need to get better in the secondary, and Bradberry coming over on a two or three year deal makes a load of sense.
4. Allen Lazard, WR
Some may scratch their head at the idea of another free agent, retreat wide receiver, but Lazard is 6’5″ and has some enticing qualities. He had 788 yards this year with the Packers, just 16 less than Jakobi Meyers.
Lazard is nothing more than a low-end two or high-quality three in a wide receiving unit, but he is still 27 years old and I think could take over for DeVante Parker on the roster.