The New England Patriots are expected to be among the most active teams when NFL free agency begins next week. Given their many roster holes and ample salary cap space, that’s no surprise.
The biggest question is how they should prioritize their many needs during this pivotal offseason. On the latest episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast, Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry tackled that question, ranking the position groups New England should focus on most this spring.
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"Let's start with starting left tackle," Curran said. "Literally ain't got one and haven't had one. Didn't have one when Trent Brown was here not behaving himself.
"Number two, lead wide receiver. Because on your roster right now, you have DeMario Douglas, who's probably your most relied upon. Then you have Kendrick Bourne, who could parade around perhaps as a guy you could target six times in a game. Kayshon Boutte is also a guy you could target six times in a game.
"Those are your three main ones. I still think DeMario Douglas warrants the ball six to 10 times a game on a regular basis. But you have to have somebody better than Bourne and Boutte as your top pass-catchers."
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Perry agreed that the Patriots' top two needs are left tackle and wide receiver. He and Curran also were on the same page with the No. 3 position on the list.
"Defensive end/edge I have as my number three," Curran said. "You have Keion White, your only edge guy. Good player, could be a little temperamental, we don't know.
"Next up, defensive tackle is my next need. I'm going to put that ahead of right tackle. (Davon) Godchaux's looking for a trade or has permission to seek one. After that, you have a terrific player in Christian Barmore, who you don't know what health-wise you can expect necessarily, so you have to always plan for the worst. Then you have Daniel Ekuale, who made 16 starts for the Patriots, and Jeremiah Pharms."
This is where Curran and Perry disagreed. Perry believes right tackle should be a higher priority than defensive tackle, and he brings up the cornerback position as another position that shouldn't be overlooked.
"I would have right tackle higher than this one, but I agree with you that this is also a need. And I would put this one very closely to -- and I don't know where you have this next position -- but I would put it very closely to second corner next to Christian Gonzalez."
After right tackle, Curran shifted his focus to the interior offensive line.
"Next, I have starting left guard," Curran said. "You're going to presume that (Cole) Strange is nearing the end, and you have to kind of look and think whether or not Layden Robinson can make the flip. He's been more of a right guard, so you have to hope that Layden Robinson can do that. He made one start at left guard last year.
"So you've got nothing at left tackle, you really don't have a lead wide receiver, you have one defensive end and no depth behind it, no pass-rush specialist. Defensive tackle, your two best are either on the way out of town in Godchaux or a question mark in Barmore.
"Right tackle, you are hoping a third-round pick comes around, and then starting left guard you can get by with what you have on the roster, but you want to pump it up. And then second corner, which I think is a great spot to look at, it's a sneaky spot, but there's so many more that are more desperate."
Also in the episode:
- Can Will Campbell play tackle at the next level in the NFL?
- Possible tackle help in free agency.
- Exploring WR options in free agency.