Defensive tackle is an emerging need for the Patriots, one that they will address in free agency and the draft. The interior defensive line struggled last season, especially when it came to stopping the run. The absence of Christian Barmore was evident. Barmore missed most of the season due to blood clots. His future with the team is up in the air despite signing a massive extension last off-season. Even…
Patriots Free Agent Preview: Cornerbacks Cornerback is a sneaky need for the Patriots. With roughly $127.4 million dollars to spend, the Patriots have the most cap space in the NFL. Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said last week that the team is looking to be aggressive free agency. They have a plan and they like players they have targeted. Top 10 cornerback targets Carlton Davis Charvarius Ward Byron Murphy Kristian Fulton …
The Patriots will have north of $123 million to spend in free agency, by far the most in the NFL. The question is, does anyone want to take their money? New England isn’t a desirable place to play right now thanks to their current state of the team and other factors. However the hiring of Mike Vrabel and the potential of quarterback Drake Maye makes the Patriots more appealing. Despite…
Images courtesy of LSU Athletics and Mike Christy/Arizona Athletics By Andy Backstrom NEFJ Correspondent INDIANAPOLIS – Drake Maye needs help. Up front and on the outside. The second-year Patriots quarterback could get a hand in one of those areas when New England makes its first selection in April’s NFL Draft. As New England Football Journal pointed out earlier this week, executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and the…
Image courtesy of Penn State Athletics Trade down. Trade the pick for a proven player. Stick and pick a lineman on either side of the ball. Take Travis Hunter if he happens to fall. Everyone has an opinion on what the Patriots should do with the fourth overall pick when the draft opens up in Green Bay late in April. Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf (and Ryan Cowden to an…
Image courtesy of Tony Harman/Colorado Athletics By Andy Backstrom NEFJ Correspondent INDIANAPOLIS – The New England Patriots have too many holes for one draft selection to patch. They need to surround second-year quarterback Drake Maye with more weapons. They also need to bolster a defense that ranked 11th-to-last in the NFL with 24.5 points per game allowed last season. That’s where executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and…
By Andy Backstrom NEFJ Correspondent INDIANAPOLIS – The New England Patriots were 4-13 last season. More plainly, they just weren’t good enough. And as Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf admitted Wednesday at the NFL Combine, the organization “just didn’t get enough done.” He took the blame for a roster that was among the NFL’s worst in 2024. “Certainly the free agency class didn’t live up to…
The Patriots are shopping defensive tackle Davon Godchaux. Godchaux has two years remaining on his contract, including $16.5 million in guaranteed money. He is scheduled to earn salaries of $4 million in 2025 and $5.5 million in 2026. The 6’3 330 pound Godchaux is not a scheme fit in the new Patriots defensive scheme and the team told his agent that he can seek a trade. Given what he is…
In the movie ‘Remember the Titans’ there’s a scene early where Julius Campbell is speaking to Gerry Bertier, it’s a critical, tone-setting moment for the rest of the film. “Attitude reflects leadership, captain,” Campbell told him. If you’ve seen it, you know the rest is history with the help of a few more bonding moments. Right now, Patriots players have loudly said the same thing to Robert and Jonathan Kraft….
For the first time since being hired, Mike Vrabel spoke with the assembled media down in Indianapolis on Tuesday morning. During the 15-minute Q&A, Vrabel hit on all the important issues currently facing him and the organization as they look to just get back to respectability before even thinking about contention. Vrabel’s staff is complete and it’ll be an integral part of the franchise’s success going forward. He was asked…