The Patriots' defensive line needs a refresh. They have two free agents, defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. and Daniel Ekuale. Wise can leave. He'll be 31 in July and is on the downside of his career.
At defensive tackle (DT), questions abound. Presumptive starter Davon Godchaux is a space-eater. He’ll be around. His contract prohibits his release. The good news is the Patriots have two top DTs on the roster.
They have a star, Christian Barmore. Unfortunately, he’s been beset by a health issue. His status is uncertain. Also, if Mike Vrabel uses him inside, instead of at the edge, another top defensive tackle is Keion White. Reinforcements are required.
The Patriots have solid defensive tackle options in free agency
PFF has ranked the interior defensive linemen. We’ll look at their top four here. No. Four is B.J. Hill from Cincinnati. The 6'3", 315-pound Hill is entering his year-29 season. Hill had 56 total stops, four passes defended, and three sacks in 2024. He'd be an upgrade over Ekuale. The issue is cost.
PFF says this about him,
"Hill signed a three-year contract with the Bengals in 2022 after an extremely sharp trade swap with the Giants for center Billy Price, and he was a veteran presence on a very young, developing interior defensive line in 2024. Hill is still a solid all-around player, but despite Cincinnati’s need at the position, massive contracts looming for Ja'Marr Chase, Trey Hendrickson and perhaps Tee Higgins could make it tough to retain Hill. "
Next is a Detroit Lions, Levi Onwuzurike. The 6’3”, 290-pound Onwuzurike is 26. Investments in younger players make sense. He fits the bill if Vrabel is looking for more mobile DTs like Barmore and White.
PFF notes,
"Onwuzurike has flashed whenever he’s been healthy over his first four seasons in the league after getting drafted one round ahead of recently extended interior defenderAlim McNeillin 2021. The former second-round pick out of Washington is the penetrating three-technique interior pass-rusher that every team covets, with his 12.5% pass-rush win rate in 2024 ranking as a top-15 mark at the position."
While his stats are underwhelming, with only 26 total stops, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble in 2024, the good news is that new Defensive Coordinator Terrell Williams will be well-familiar with the player. Both were in Detroit in 2024. He'll likely make the call on whether he fits the new Pats' defense.
The top two free-agent defensive tackles for the Pats to consider
Second on PFF's list is Milton Williams from the Eagles. Williams notched only 24 total stops in 2024, but he's a playmaker with five sacks, a pass defended, and a forced fumble. The Pats need to add playmakers inside on the D-line. Williams may fit that model very nicely.
Here’s PFF's take on the 6’3”, 290-pound, 25-year-old,
“Williams is already a candidate for the biggest riser on this list, and his stock only improved down the homestretch. His six sacks in the regular season are a career-best total. A rotational interior defender with serious pass-rush juice is often the profile of a player who does very well in free agency, and Williams has limited tread on his tires, given he’s never eclipsed 50% of defensive snaps played in a season despite playing at least 36% in every year since his debut. Leave it to the Eagles to get a new deal done, but if not, don’t be surprised when Williams makes a major splash in March.”
PFFs top-rated DT is Osa Odighizuwa of the Cowboys. The 6’2”, 280-ponder racked up 47 stops, a pass defended, a forced fumble, and a solid 4.5 sacks in 2024. He’s a prototypical penetrating defensive tackle and the antithesis of a player like Godchaux, a stationary space-eater.
Here’s PFF’s note on their top DT in free agency,
“Odighizuwa is another interior pass-rusher with very strong underlying metrics that haven’t quite translated to major sack production through nearly four seasons. While the season fell off the rails as injuries piled up, Odighizuwa stayed the course and played some of the best ball of his career over the second half of the campaign. The 2021 third-round pick is quietly one of the more underrated defenders across the NFL.”
Those are PFF’s top four choices at DT in 2025 free agency. The objective of all your offseason moves should be to improve. Mike Vrabel and his coaching staff must prioritize the positions they want to spend on to improve, then allocate their cap space and draft picks accordingly. Defensive Tackle should be one of them.