NFL free agents: Best available players Patriots could pursue

NFL free agents: Best available players Patriots could pursue originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The NFL deadline for all 32 teams to trim their roster to 53 players is next Tuesday, so there will be a ton of player movement over the next week as teams release players.

The Patriots have needs at a few positions, primarily the offensive line. Left tackle is a weak spot for the Patriots that wasn’t adequately addressed in the draft or free agency. Tight end is another position where another veteran could be valuable for New England, especially if Hunter Henry isn’t 100 percent healthy by Week 1.

Salary cap space isn’t a problem for the Patriots. They have just under $51 million in cap space, per OverTheCap, which is the second-most in the league.

Here’s a list of the best players still available as free agents. This list will grow over the coming days as teams make roster moves.

Quarterback

The Patriots don’t need a quarterback. They already have four on their roster — Jacoby Brissett, Bailey Zappe and rookies Drake Maye and Joe Milton. Brissett and Maye are competing to be the starter.

The best-case scenario for the Patriots is Maye taking over at some point this season and playing well. Brissett is a veteran who played under offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt in Cleveland, so he knows the offense better than anyone. There’s no reason to bring in another QB unless Brissett gets injured.

Running back

Rhamondre Stevenson is a very good running back, but after he played just 11 games due to injury last season, it would be wise of the Patriots to manage his workload. Antonio Gibson was brought in as a free agent to be the backup. Kevin Harris and JaMycal Hasty are also on the depth chart.

Jerick McKinnon could be a useful third-down receiving back. He scored 14 receiving touchdowns with the Chiefs over the last three years, including a career-high nine during the 2022 campaign. Latavius Murray is a capable veteran with 11 years of experience. He scored fewer than four…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-free-agents-best-available-171021571.html

Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2024-08-22 17:30:19

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