With free agency opening up next week, the Patriots will have a lot of roster holes to fill, especially before the draft. They have a lot of money to spend, nearly $100 million in cap space, and it couldn't have come at a better time.
The list of pending free agents this year was impressive, and many players sparked fans' interest as potential fits for New England to target. But many of them are already off the board, as they have either been re-signed to their teams or franchise-tagged.
That will make Jerod Mayo's job more difficult, with an offense that needs a lot of improvement to become a competitive team again. The good thing is that there are some quality players going under the radar who would be good additions for the right price and the right role.
5 under-the-radar free-agent targets for Patriots this offseason
Gus Edwards
Running back is one of the less discussed positions the Patriots will likely be looking at in free agency this year. Rhamondre Stevenson is under contract for one more season, and he still needs a complementary backfield teammate to dominate in the run game.
That was what Ezekiel Elliott was brought in to do for the 2023 season, and although he did a fine enough job, he wasn't exactly stellar enough to label him a must-re-sign candidate. Because the only other RBs on the team are unproven on game day and a stellar pending free agent class looking for new contracts, now is the time for New England to bulk up their backfield.
Someone who should be on their radar is Gus Edwards, the career-long Baltimore Raven who has been as consistent as they come in that offense and recorded the best season of his career last year, totaling 198 carries for 810 yards and 13 touchdowns.
The 28-year-old would pair well with Stevenson, who will continue as the RB1. He will also allow the quarterback to utilize him in the passing game, which will become even more critical with a rookie under center while keeping Stevenson as the primary ball carrier.
His size and speed would make him a valuable addition, and given the names who will be joining him in free agency, the Patriots could probably get him for a lower price, too.
Noah Fant
Hunter Henry may have just signed a 3-year contract to remain in New England, but he is still the only tight end on the roster for the 2024 season. Although they will likely select another in the draft this year, he will need another immediate starter to split snaps with, much like he did last year with Pharaoh Brown and Mike Gesicki.
A guy like Noah Fant would be an excellent player to consider taking on that role.
His last two seasons with the Seahawks weren't that memorable, likely due to the focus on players like Tyler Lockett, D.K. Metcalf, and Kenneth Walker III. But Fant still performed pretty well despite the lack of significant inclusion in the game-day plans, recording 82 receptions for 900 yards and four touchdowns since 2022.
His dramatic increase and improvement as a pass blocker stood out the most during his time with the Seahawks. Fant was the opposite of impressive in that area before last season, but because he was utilized more on the line of scrimmage, he earned the highest PFF ranking for blocking in his career.
His usage during his first three years in the league with the Broncos was much higher than in Seattle, proving he can be a viable weapon when given the opportunity. Because he appears to be more well-rounded at the position than some who have been with the team previously, his fit with Henry makes adding him to the roster more desirable.
Tyler Boyd
With most of the most desirable free-agent receivers now off the board, the Patriots still need to prioritize the position in free agency to improve their offense. One of the more intriguing candidates is Tyler Boyd, who became the outcast in Cincinnati due to the significant emphasis on Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Despite that, Boyd has a proven track record that shows he can be a great addition to a developing offense. He recorded back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2018 and 2019 and has averaged 774 yards every year since.
They may not be the flashiest numbers, but that's far more than almost any receiver the Patriots have had over the last few seasons.
Because he is more than capable of playing like a WR1 since he was that for the Bengals during his most impressive seasons, he would be an immediate upgrade to what the Patriots have had and can carry the load of more than just a backup receiver.
Alohi Gilman
The free agent market is now overly saturated with safeties after the mass exodus of players at the position this past week, but with Jalen Mills and Adrian Phillips potentially not returning, Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers are going to need some help in the secondary, and Alohi Gilman could be the right one for the job.
Since entering the league in 2020, he's spent the first four years of his career with the Chargers and will test free agency for the first time. His value has significantly decreased recently due to how many safeties will now be available, but he remains a good under-the-radar candidate for the Patriots to consider.
Gilman's 2023 season was by far his most impressive. In almost every statistical measure, he received the highest PFF grades of his career, all while being on the field for double or triple the number of snaps from every previous season.
He could pair well with Dugger and Peppers, allowing them to get back into their primary roles in the box, while Gilman can be used more as the free safety. That's not his typical role, but he's been used that way enough in his career that utilizing him there more takes the two Patriots veterans out of the heavy rotation.
D.J. Chark
Because you can never have too many receivers, another the Patriots should look at is DJ Chark. He once looked like the perfect number-one guy during his days with the Jaguars and has struggled to replicate that production since then.
However, he is only 27 years old and has not had a season where he totaled under 500 yards since 2019. Considering that 561 yards was what the Patriots' leading receiver did last year, Chark's addition would ensure that was their floor instead.
He has previously been on the team's radar, and this could be the time to bring him in. His size would make him one of the bigger receivers on the team, and his quickness would also be a welcomed change.