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Players the New England Patriots could extend this offseason

By Lou Scataglia

PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 19: Mike Onwenu #71 of the New England Patriots looks on against the Philadelphia Eagles in the preseason game at Lincoln Financial Field on August 19, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Patriots defeated the Eagles 35-0. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 19: Mike Onwenu #71 of the New England Patriots looks on against the Philadelphia Eagles in the preseason game at Lincoln Financial Field on August 19, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Patriots defeated the Eagles 35-0. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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The New England Patriots still need to add to their roster before the 2023 season, but they could also take care of some of their own.

With cap space still to spend, the Patriots could do quite a bit more work this offseason.  The team was quiet in the beginning couple of days but did make some notable signings as free agency wore on.  They signed Mike Gesicki, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and James Robinson to bolster the offense.

They also added two tackles in Calvin Anderson and Riley Reiff, but both are spot starters at best.

The team could look internally and could perhaps offer contract extensions to some of their higher performing players.  They could do this now for one big reason, and that could be to save some money.

If these few players end up performing even better than they have in their prior seasons, their price tags would increase quite a bit and would create a potential problem for the team if they wanted to bring them back.

Players the New England Patriots could extend this offseason

1. Mike Onwenu, OL

Mike Onwenu has played both tackle and guard for the New England Patriots and has played each position very well.  He was a sixth round draft pick of the team back in the 2020 NFL Draft and has been a reliable starter since then.

He’s now settled into the offensive interior, but honestly, why not kick him back out to one of the tackle spots?  If he can play that position well, that’d be a huge hole that he’d fill.

Well, if the Patriots were to do that and didn’t extend him this offseason, he’d likely want paid like a tackle.  I think the smart move is to leave him on the inside and to lock him up now before he prices himself out of New England.

2. Kyle Dugger, S

Hey guys, I’m not sure if you know this, but Kyle Dugger is very good at football.  He’s a do it all type of player and has been a full time starter for the Patriots in the last two seasons.  He’s got seven interceptions, two touchdowns, 13 passes defended, 234 total tackles, and 11 tackles for loss in his three seasons in the NFL.

It’s best that the Pats extend him now because he’s gotten better each season.

3. Josh Uche, EDGE

Josh Uche was a second round draft pick of the Pats back in 2020 and really came on this year.  He quickly proved to be a quality pass rushing threat alongside sack master Matthew Judon.

Uche blasted through his career high in sacks and notched 11.5 of them this year.  He also added 27 tackles and 14 QB hits in 15 games played.  We all know how valuable edge rushers are in the NFL, and if Uche can put together another solid pass rushing season, he could simply follow the money in free agency 2024 as a 25 yeard old.

Surely there would be a team willing to hand out a hefty contract for his services.  The best route to take is for the Patriots to extend him now and perhaps save a bit of change.

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