Perry: Exploring the Patriots' top DL options in free agency
Depending on where you look, the numbers would suggest the Patriots were among the league's worst teams when it came to run defense in 2020. They ranked 29th in the NFL in expected points added allowed per rush, per Ben Baldwin of The Athletic. They were last in football in rush DVOA, according to Football Outsiders.Yes, they were a top-10 defense when it came to points allowed (22.1, 7th). But that doesn't mean Bill Belichick won't be proactive if and when the opportunity to improve his front seven presents itself.He actually has some work to do just to maintain the unit he played last year since the Patriots are about to watch their two best interior defensive linemen hit free agency: Lawrence Guy and Adam Butler.Before we get to where those two could end up (and for how much), let's take a peek at some of the defensive tackles the Patriots could sign this offseason via free agency. There's a whole mess of 'em.
Quietly one of the best defensive linemen in the league, Williams is going to hit free agency after playing last season on the franchise tag with the Giants. Like many of the names on this list, he's a run-stuffer first, and the Patriots are very familiar with what he can do after playing against him twice a year for four-and-a-half years.
Here's what Belichick said when asked about Williams in 2018: "He’s hard to block. He’s a good football player. He’s long. He’s got good power. He’s very explosive. He’s quick, athletic for his size, a hard guy to cut and get off his feet. He’s very good instinctively. He recognizes things quickly – screens, combination blocks, things like that . . . He’s one of the best players we play against. He’s outstanding."
Williams should be paid near the top of the market for players at his position. He's not Aaron Donald ($22.5 million per year), but he could very well see more than what Grady Jarrett makes on an average annual basis ($17 million).
Built differently than Williams (6-foot-5, 305 pounds), Tomlinson (6-3, 320) could be an option for a team -- like the Patriots -- looking for more of a nose tackle. He doesn't have to play right over centers, but he can defend the run from just about anywhere on the inside. If you want him, you might be looking at paying him in the teens of millions of dollars per year.
At 6-3, 300 pounds, Harris looks like a good fit as a 3-4 end in the Patriots defense. He certainly possesses more upside than his former Broncos teammate Casey. Over the last couple of seasons, he's ranked inside the top-25 in pass-rush productivity among interior defensive linemen. If Adam Butler heads elsewhere via free agency and Williams is too pricey, Harris feels like the kind of free-agent signing who could interest Belichick.
Cap casualty. Can clearly still play. Looks like a Patriots fit. At 6-foot-6 and about 300 pounds, he could handle the 3-4 end duties asked of players like Guy and Byron Cowart in the Patriots defense. And Belichick will know exactly what he's getting if he invests; he has had to coach against Anderson since 2015 as a member of the Colts and then Jets. He might be available for a reasonable short-term deal if he wants to hit the market again when the cap resets.
The Patriots still like size on the interior. While 280-pound interior linemen can be all kinds of effective -- guys like Derek Wolfe or Tyrone Crawford -- but that hasn't been Belichick's style of late. Deatrich Wise worked to get closer to that size but remained a bit of an odd fit scheme-wise for the Patriots defense over the last couple of years. Jones, meanwhile, fits the profile. At 6-4, 322, he could play a variety of roles inside . . . and he did with the Titans. If the Patriots can't keep the versatile Guy around, Jones could end up being a little bit younger option.
Big name. Big production? Kinda. But maybe not to the level you might expect based on his name recognition. The 6-4, 313-pounder had six sacks in 2020 -- first time he hit that mark since 2015 -- and 50 total pressures in the regular season (ninth among defensive tackles), per Pro Football Focus. Even in his mid-30s, he's still a more-than-serviceable option.
One of the earliest cap casualties of this offseason, Short has seasons on his resume when he's been a next-level run defender. The 6-3, 315-pounder has only played five games over the last two seasons, though, so any interested clubs will have to do their due diligence on his injury history before they invest.
He's missed 10 games over the last two seasons, but if a team can tap into a 6-foot-2, 300-pound player who can get after the quarterback the way he did in 2018 -- eight sacks, 46 pressures -- making a low-end investment would make sense. The issue for the Patriots could be whether or not he plays the run the way they'll ask him to if he heads to New England. If looking for a veteran with good enough size but works better as a run-stuffer, former Steelers defensive tackle Tyson Alualu (6-3, 305), 34, might make a little more sense.
Casey tore his bicep in September and was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the season. A five-time Pro Bowler with the Titans, Casey has an impressive resume. But his injury history is lengthy. He tore a ligament in his knee in 2018 that forced him to end the season in injured reserve. A shoulder issue robbed him of two games in 2019 . . . but he still made a Pro Bowl. If he could stay healthy, he'd be a cost-effective piece on the interior for wherever he ends up.
Hankins could be an answer for the Patriots as the big-bodied nose they missed last year. At 6-3, 325 he has the ability to squat in the middle of an opposing offensive formation, eat up blocks, and clear the way for linebackers behind him to make plays. His 33-inch arms are plenty long enough to two-gap in Belichick's defense. He missed 24 tackles over the last three seasons, which may force the Patriots to look elsewhere, but he should still have plenty of competent football ahead of him.
More of a short-term, low-cost fix on the nose? Could be Peters. Beau Allen didn't see a snap for the Patriots in 2020 after he was brought in to serve as Danny Shelton's replacement in the middle of the defensive line on early downs. Peters is huge at 6-3, 335, and he's been a consistent run defender over the course of his career. He's been with Arizona since 2015 after coming into the league as a third-round pick of the Falcons in 2010. Damon "Snacks" Harrison, 33, would be another space-eating veteran who should not be all that expensive who'd have little issue as a run-stuffing specialist.
An even shorter-term fix? McLendon is still getting it done despite having a dozen seasons under his belt as an undrafted player out of Troy. Pretty remarkable trajectory for him. But he's got size (6-3, 310) and savvy, and the Patriots would know what they're getting as they've seen him for a while now. He was with the Steelers from 2009-15 and the Jets from 2016-20. For an early-down answer, the Patriots could certainly do worse.
