An offseason to-do list for the New England Patriots – Sports – The Boston Globe

Interesting stuff from Bedard on his offseason plan and surely some stuff that will a lot of Patriots fans won’t agree with. I’ve already said that I think Welker is most likely to walk, as unfortunate as that is.

I’m not as confident as he seems in replacing Vollmer, and I’d lean toward making a bigger push to re-signing him, though right tackle is not the hardest position in the world to fill. The decision to let Brandon Lloyd go as well would be ballsy to say the least, but as I’ve said I’m all for some offensive evolution this offseason.

If I’m the Patriots, I let Welker walk, I don’t pay Brandon Lloyd’s $3 million option (making him a free agent), and I use that money to find the best X receiver on the market to threaten defenses down the left sideline. Lloyd was close, but not quite the right guy. He could also come in the draft if the Patriots can identify, for the first time since Deion Branch and David Givens in 2002, a real talent.