Patriots could quickly replace Matthew Judon with Pro Bowl free agent

The stunning news of Matthew Judon's trade to the Falcons might still be fresh in our minds, but the Patriots have likely moved on from the star pass rusher and are preparing for life without him on the roster.

While they might be confident with the defensive talent they currently have on the team, it's risky not to bring in another trusted veteran, especially with more than $50 million in cap space remaining available to use.

They could certainly use it offensively, most notably for a start wide receiver or offensive line help, but the most desirable of options are not currently available with just three weeks until the regular season begins.

Instead, Eliot Wolf and the Patriots could look at the remaining free-agent defensive linemen and potentially shift their focus to one of the top remaining players still looking for a team for the upcoming season.

If there is going to be an effort to replace some of the production that will inevitably leave with Judon, the team could entertain the idea of signing Yannick Ngakoue, a 29-year-old defensive end who most recently played for the Bears.

Signing Yannick Ngakoue might be a good plan for the Patriots to bring more production to the defensive line

Having confidence in the younger players currently fighting for a spot to make the 2024 roster is good to see from the new regime, but might be an overly optimistic mindset considering how much the pass rush struggled in Judon's absence last season.

After suffering a season-ending injury against the Cowboys in Week 4, there was an expectation that players like Joshua Uche and rookie Keion White would step up and take advantage of the opportunity presented.

Although Christian Barmore eventually had a breakout season, he led the team with 8.5 sacks on the year, a significant decrease from Judon's 15.5 a season before.

Uche could replicate his production from that season, which was the best of his career when he recorded 11.5 sacks and 27 combined tackles, and maybe White could have a big second-year jump. But it's still a lot of pressure and potentially expecting too much from the duo.

That's why adding a guy like Ngakoue would lessen the load on their shoulders while adding a trusted and productive veteran to the roster. He was considered one of the best defensive talents in this year's free agency class, and for unknown reasons, he remains available to sign.

Factors like his age, cheaper salary, and nearly clean injury history make him a desirable player to pursue in place of Judon. His eight years of experience would be invaluable to the young defensive core the Patriots hope to continue building.

Over the past three seasons, Ngakoue has recorded 23.5 sacks, 79 combine tackles, 22 tackles for a loss, 46 quarterback hits, and three forced fumbles for three different teams. He has more than demonstrated he can be a wrecking ball no matter where he's playing and how well or poorly the rest of the defense is performing around him.

With just over three weeks until the Patriots' first regular season game of the year, time is running out to add some insurance that their plan to maintain a dominant defense remains in tact. Plus, the longer they wait to sign Ngakoue, the higher the chances he will sign elsewhere.

So he should definitely be on Wolf's radar over the next few days, even more so now that Judon is heading to the NFC South.

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