Patriots Free Agency Reset, Visits Rundown

After re-signing Rex Burkhead and acquiring Jason McCourty via trade, the Patriots have picked up the pace of their free agency period the last two days, and with a number of visits reported there should be plenty more moves to come.

Once again there’s been plenty of outrage about the lack of big-name signings, which has left me wondering why people are far more enamored with an aging star over a promising player who never blossomed. The latter is always cheaper and come with far more upside. If anything the annoying part about them is they come to New England, resurrect their career and then move on to a bigger contract elsewhere. Guys like Akiem Hicks, Aqib Talib, even Brandon Browner are just a few that jump to mind in that regard.

The old stars get everyone excited because your mind immediately imagines them at the peak of their careers as if that is the player the Patriots are getting. Sometimes the Patriots do get one of those guys on a cheaper deal because they “want to win”, but most of the time they’re getting paid for past performance, not what they’re still capable of and that’s why the Pats avoid them.

Anyway, here’s a quick rundown of reported visits that the Patriots have scheduled and my thoughts on them. I try not to get too excited or invested when reports of interest or even visits are reported. Sometimes it’s smoke from the agents. Sometimes they can’t even pass a physical. Other times they leave and sign elsewhere. The point is, don’t get invested until they sign.

• Adrian Clayborn — This is an easy move to get behind as the veteran pass rusher is just the kind of player the Pats could use in their front seven. He’d be mostly a hand-down defensive end, which is fine because they definitely have a handful of interesting edge guys who are more athletic returning like Derek Rivers, Harvey Langi and Eric Lee. They need someone who can get down and dirty and cause disruption like Clayborn.
• Danny Woodhead — Always wished the Pats had kept Woodhead, I just don’t know how much of a role he can have now with James White and Rex Burkhead in the mix, who can both catch. Woodhead’s lengthy injury history isn’t likely to change at this point in his career, but I’ll always have a soft spot for Woody, so if it happens I’d be happy, just unsure how he’d fit.
• Jeremy Hill — Another running back, more of a power back that would tread in Mike Gillislee‘s territory, he’s just the kind of reclamation project that the Pats love, but again with Gillislee already on the roster I’m not sure if he’s too redundant. I also want to avoid overstocking the running back position again and trying to do too much. Really at this point, I’d be fine with Burkhead leading things off with his run/pass balance, White being the passing down guy and Gillislee being the short yardage guy. That rotation seems pretty solid and while they’ll need depth, I just hated how neither Dion Lewis nor Burkhead every found their season rhythm other than in small bursts. Let’s keep it simple in the backfield this year and not spend all our time worrying about who’s going to get all the carries.
• Jonathan Casillas — A linebacker who spent time with the Pats in 2015, he was a spot starter here, but went on to start 30 of 39 games he played with the Giants. He’ll be 31 in June so he’s not a long-term answer, but he can still run and the Patriots need just about any athletic linebacker they can find at this point. He could be part of the rotation but someone who could be surpassed by a draft pick. Good depth if it comes together.
• Asante Cleveland — Another guy who spent time with the Pats, he played in four games in 2015. Still just in his fourth season, Cleveland could provide some tight end depth especially in the blocking department behind Gronk and Dwayne Allen, who I’m thinking the Pats might just hold on to and overpay because he’s a great citizen and can help offset the Nate Solder loss.
• Eric Ebron — More of a receiving tight end, he had 186 catches in four years with the Lions after being taken 10th overall in 2014. Ebron has plenty of visits lined up, but he’d be an interesting reclamation project to pair with Brady and a nice compliment to Gronk.

After adding McCourty and Danny Shelton, I still see offensive tackle, linebacker and defensive end as the biggest needs. If they can keep Cameron Fleming and/or (preferably and) LaAdrian Waddle they’ll at least have a serviceable front though I’d still invest in the position in the draft and pray that Tony Garcia can give them something this year, even if it’s only as a fourth tackle who comes on in jumbo packages.

As much as I’d love Tyrann Mathieu I wonder how he co-exists with Patrick Chung. I’ve always longed to see the Honey Badger in the Pats’ system where I think they’d really know how to use him, but at this point I’m not holding my breath that they’ll land him.