Notable ex-Patriots expected to make free-agency decisions soon
With major free-agent splashes and the NFL draft in the books, key additions still sit on the market for teams to add depth before training camp. For the Patriots, a few names, in particular, remain available.
For a group in need of depth on defense, former Patriots in Jamie Collins and Trey Flowers remain on the open market. Collins split time with Detroit and New England last season, recording 30 tackles between both teams as part of his third stint with the Patriots. Flowers posted 24 tackles and 1.5 sacks in seven games with the Lions a season ago.
Collins and Flowers are expected to make their free-agent decisions soon now that the draft is over, as Jeff Howe reported in mid-April. Either would make sense as a New England reunion on a short-term, low-money deal. Both would need to show value to the Patriots to the point to maneuver cap space to make a deal work.
Patriots cap expert Miguel Benzan posted a series of financial solutions to free up money for any late free-agent additions.
Here's how the Patriots can create 55M in cap space. The Net Savings column accounts for the dead money column. Another way to create cap space is to have a player agree to a pay cut. pic.twitter.com/22Q52gXgtX
— Patscap (@patscap) May 2, 2022
More short-term could pop up early this week, as signings are no longer tied to the compensatory draft pick formula after 4 p.m. ET on Monday. The passing of the deadline could reignite the market for veteran free agents such as the aforementioned Collins and Flowers, among other notable veteran names like Julio Jones, Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, Jason Pierre-Paul, Akiem Hicks, and Joe Haden.
Elsewhere in New England, Dont’a Hightower is “still figuring out what he wants to do,” as Howe said in his same report on Collins and Flowers. But it’s likely we’ll start to see more movement across the league post-draft.
Based on the return of Malcolm Butler, Bill Belichick certainly isn’t against the idea of reunions.
Patriots UDFA Tracker 2022: Undrafted rookies signed by the Patriots
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