Looking at the Patriots' biggest needs heading into free agency, the defense has taken a backseat to the offense for good reason. The new regime's goal is to pack the offensive roster around quarterback Drake Maye and set him up to be successful as soon as possible. That explains the expectation that they will prioritize positions like tackle and wide receiver, even in the draft.
It's understandable why this would be the primary focus of the offseason, but the defense, especially the secondary, needs quite a bit of upgrading, as well.
Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers are some of the most solid safeties in the league, but Dugger's struggles last season, coupled with Peppers' off-the-field issues, put a lot of pressure on young and unproven players to perform at a high level. In some ways, they impressed, but in others, it was clear the team was missing its veteran superstars.
That could also be applied to the cornerbacks. Christian Gonzalez has already proven himself to be the best on the team and among the best in the league. He is clearly the CB1 and is expected to hold that role for the foreseeable future, which makes pairing him with someone as elite more crucial.
With longtime Patriot Jonathan Jones heading to free agency and an unclear future in New England, the team will have to explore their options for who is best to pair with their young Second-Team All-Pro. Fortunately, they were just gifted a great player to consider.
The Patriots should definitely be in on recently released cornerback Darius Slay
It was announced on Monday that the Super Bowl Champion Eagles were unexpectedly going to release six-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay with a post-June 1 designation to save some cap space ahead of free agency.
Because of his impressive resume, especially over the last five years in Philadelphia, it was not a move that anyone was expecting, but it worked in the Patriots' favor.
Eagles are releasing six-time Pro-Bowl CB Darius Slay, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 3, 2025
If he is designated a post-June 1 release, the Eagles will save $4.3 million against the cap. pic.twitter.com/tUq4ScIK79
Related: Former Defensive Player of the Year sees himself in Patriots' Christian Gonzalez
The former First-Team All-Pro has been a consistent weapon for any secondary he has played in, and his veteran experience would be a huge asset to the Patriots and their hopes of making Gonzalez an even bigger superstar.
Over the last three years, Slay has recorded 161 combined tackles, four tackles for a loss, five interceptions for 103 yards, a pick-six, and 41 passes defended. That kind of production would be an asset for the Patriots defense, especially the secondary.
Because he will be a free agent, it won't be easy to convince him that New England is the place to be regardless of how much money they might offer him. He's coming from a team that has been a consistent Super Bowl contender over the last few years, and that's not exactly the boat the Patriots are in right now.
However, there is a solid opportunity to make an impact with the team and to help mentor the next generation of top cornerbacks in the league, which might be intriguing to someone like Slay. So we'll have to see if he ends up being on Mike Vrabel's radar when free agency begins next week.