The Patriots did an exceptional job of reloading their defense this offseason. Their pass rush was bolstered by the signings of Milton Williams, Harold Landry, and Robert Spillane, while Carlton Davis is an ideal cornerback partner for Christian Gonzalez.
Even though training camp is on the horizon, ,Eliot Wolf could still shake things up by making a surprising move or two on either side of the ball, but the roster heading into camp appears to be solidified. A few players throughout the league continue to grumble about their contracts, adding to the noise that New England could shock the NFL with a trade.
Even though Patriots' fans can dream of seeing another high-caliber pass rusher in New England, that's likely not going to happen.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are unlikely to trade superstar T.J. Watt
As great as it would be to see a high-octane pass rusher like Watt in New England, it's probably not going to happen. Even though offseason rumors have swirled that Pittsburgh is going to trade Watt, it's becoming increasingly unlikely that it will happen.
Even if the Patriots were to swindle Watt out of Pittsburgh, they'd have to give up too much to make it happen. I'm talking first-round draft picks here. Thanks to the contracts that guys like Williams and Miles Garrett got, pass rushers like Watt, Micah Parsons, and Trey Hendrickson are going to make a ton of money in their next deals.
And despite the Patriots still having a significant amount of salary cap space even after their free-agent spending spree, Watt is likely to demand a lucrative contract, considering he'll be 31 years old in October. The last thing the Patriots need is to get themselves in salary cap hell over the next couple of years when it comes time to pay their young players like Drake Maye.
Watt would undoubtedly help the Patriots' defense, but even without him, New England should still have a top-10 caliber unit. So any dreams of Watt calling Foxborough home need to face the reality that he's likely going to stay in Pittsburgh.