Six Patriots-related questions after a busy week of free agency

Author Alex Barth

March 20th, 2021 12:22 PM

Patriots fans, have you caught your breath yet?

What a week that was for football fans in New England. Bill Belichick spent like he’s never spent before, and turned a roster full of holes into the framework of a playoff contender.

As the dust settles on phase one of free agency and the Patriots’ 16 (!) signings and re-signings, the direction the team seems to be heading in for 2021 is becoming clear. With a focus on the front seven, offensive line, and a tight end overhaul, it appears they’ll have a true smashmouth tone this season.

That being said, there are still some questions that remain unanswered. From the few still-unfilled positions, to new position battles, to reports that never came to fruition during the week, here’s what’s left for the Patriots to address between now and OTAs in May.

• What is the long-term plan at quarterback?

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  In terms of their biggest needs heading into the offseason, the Patriots checked every box this week except one - a long-term plan at quarterback. Yes, they have Cam Newton as the presumptive starter right now, but even the most optimistic fan has to deal with the reality that he is one a one-year deal. By definition, that leaves him out of the ‘long-term’ discussion at the position, at least for the time being.
  
  So what are the Patriots’ options? The most obvious one right now seems to be the draft. By filling so many of the holes on their roster with young players on multi-year deals, Bill Belichick has in a way made his draft picks more expendable.
  
  The Patriots won’t realistically have room to roster players with all 10 selections they have in this upcoming draft, and project to be relatively set heading into 2022 as well. In that sense, everything is set up perfectly for the team to consolidate draft picks, and move up into the top 10 to get a quarterback they can build around long-term.
  
  If they don’t take a QB in the draft, that thins out the options. We know they were interested in Jimmy Garoppolo before free agency, but he’s probably closer to the ‘bridge’ category than ‘long-term option.’ Of course, there’s the wild home run QB trade rumors, but those won’t happen until much later, if at all.

• Does the team plan on keeping Stephon Gilmore and/or J.C. Jackson?

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  Heading into the offseason, the plan at cornerback seemed pretty clear. Stephon Gilmore wants a new contract, so he’d be moved and J.C. Jackson tendered, turning him into a bridge cornerback. However, it appears things have changed.
  
  As Jeff Howe first reported, the Patriots are not actively shopping Gilmore. The team also placed a second-round tender on Jackson, instead of the expected first. What does this all mean?
  
  It could just mean that there’s no deals on the table they like for Gilmore, and didn’t want to spend the extra million on Jackson’s tender. It could also signal that the plan is now to keep Gilmore, and possibly add a second-round pick using Jackson’s RFA status as bait.
  
  Whatever the case, the team likely has about a month to sort it out. The RFA negotiation window ends April 23 (a week before the draft), and any deal involving Jackson - trade or renegotiation - will look much different at that point.

• Who is the odd man out on the offensive line?

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  This week brought us ‘odd man out’ offensive line talk for the second time this offseason. After the team traded for Trent Brown, there was clearly an extra tackle on the depth chart. That was resolved after they sent Marcus Cannon to the Houston Texans in a trade last week.
  
  This time around, the area of focus is the interior line. After being a primary starter for the last two seasons, Ted Karras no projects to be a backup following the unexpected return of David Andrews. Will he end up having to take a back seat?
  
  That’s the likely outcome, but not the only one. If the Patriots want to keep Karras, and he’s intent on being a starter, the team could move him to guard, kick Michael Onwenu back to right tackle, move Brown to the left side, and perhaps explore trading Isaiah Wynn, who is in the last year of his contract. Depth is always good, but as of right now they have six players who will likely expect to start, with only five spots.
• Will N’Keal Harry get traded?

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  A handful of reports popped up through the first week of free agency that the Patriots were looking to trade 2019 first-round pick N’Keal Harry. However, none of those reports came to fruition, at least not yet.
  
  A potential Harry trade would make sense for the Patriots and any team willing to bring him aboard. In New England, he’s been pushed to the fourth or fifth spot on the depth chart, and his lack of versatility limits his ability to contribute from that spot. Another NFL team may see more value in the 23 year old, with the idea that a chance of scenery could tap into the potential he showed coming out of Arizona State.
  
  Will the Patriots continue to explore a deal involving Harry? Or was that contingent on landing another free agent wide receiver? It doesn’t seem like the door would be shut on any potential trade at this point, but teams will likely get more attached to their picks the closer we get to the draft.

• Reshuffling the front seven

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  It’s clear as day that one of, if not the main focus the Patriots had this week was retooling their defensive front, with eight of their 16 signings or re-signings being linebackers or defensive linemen. Overall, a good plan considering how they struggled at the line of scrimmage last season.
  
  However, that’s also a spot the team has invested heavily in in the draft over the past few years. In 2020, young players were forced into key roles, especially at linebacker, due to lack of depth. Some, like Josh Uche, thrived while others, like Anfernee Jennings, showed they may need more time to develop their game.
  
  They’ll certainly have that kind of time this year, after the additions of guys like Matt Judon and Kyle Van Noy. How much will they displace the Patriots’ recent draft picks? That’s going to be an interesting question to follow into the start of the season.
  
  Will Bill Belichick do what he traditionally does, and rely heavily on the veterans, allowing the young players more time to develop? Or will guys like Uche, who showed he’s up to an NFL level last season, be squarely in the mix when it comes to playing time?

• Where is the next pass catching/third down running back?

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  Both James White and Rex Burkhead are pending free agents. Burkhead is also coming off a severe knee injury. As the roster currently stands, there’s no obvious choice to replace either in a crucial role in the Patriots’ offense.
  
  An easy, and likely welcomed fix would be to bring back James White, then draft a similar player to study under and eventually take over his role, like the dynamic White had with Shane Vereen early in his career. However, White remains unsigned despite a down market for similar running backs (Phillip Lindsay got just $1 million guaranteed from the Texans.)
  
  The Patriots could just draft a guy like Demetric Felton, one of the best receiving backs in this year’s class, but their hesitance to play rookie RBs in the past makes it feel like they need a veteran option as well. That could be White, or it could be somebody else, but there’s only so many options available. It’d be surprising if they didn’t add at least one free agent back (White included) before offseason workouts begin.

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Author Alex Barth

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