8 Players Patriots Could Target With New Cap Space
The New England Patriots were pushed right up against the salary cap back in May.
They kicked things off by extending safety Patrick Chung’s contract to free up $925,000 in cap space on May 20. Then, by restructuring running back Rex Burkhead’s contract on July 7, New England created an additional $981,250 in cap space for the upcoming season. The financial impact of those moves was mostly mitigated by the signings of quarterback Cam Newton and second round pick Kyle Dugger, but the Patriots were still trying to maintain flexibility.
On July 11, however, New England won compensation grievances cases with receiver Antonio Brown and the late tight end Aaron Hernandez to free up another $6.55 million, bringing its total cap space figure to about $7.79 million.
If coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots want to turn 2020 into a retooling year as opposed to a rebuilding year, that money will get put to good use in one way or another. There are multiple notable free agents and trade candidates still on the market, so here are the eight players the Patriots could target with their $7.79 million in available cap space.
Jordan Reed, TE
It’s no secret that the Patriots are thin at skill positions.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell ranked New England No. 21 in the league for offensive weapons in 2020 after back-to-back years in his top 10. One year after tight end Rob Gronkowski retired and left the team, the Patriots have yet to find his heir apparent, with Ben Watson leading the way at the position in 2019 with just 17 receptions, 173 yards and zero touchdowns.
Even though Belichick drafted UCLA’s Devin Asiasi and Virginia Tech’s Dalton Keene in April’s draft, there is still a lack of veteran experience at tight end.
Enter Jordan Reed, a former Pro Bowler who just turned 30 years old on July 3.
Reed did not play in 2019 due to injury, and he missed a total of 31 games from 2009 to 2018. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Reed is attempting to make a comeback in 2020, and that he has already been in contact with three teams.
It remains to be seen whether or not the Patriots were one of those teams, but it would seem to be in their best interest to pursue a tight end with 3,371 career yards and 24 career touchdowns under his belt. Given he would likely sign a one-year deal for manageable money, Reed fits the bill for what New England needs heading into 2020.
David Njoku, TE
If Belichick and Josh McDaniels want to lock up a talented pass-catching tight end, David Njoku is the best one on the market.
The former first round pick demanded a trade from the Cleveland Browns earlier this summer after his team acquired Austin Hooper to seemingly take over the No. 1 tight end role moving forward. Njoku only played in four games due to injury in 2019, but his 56 receptions and 639 yards in 2018 show that he has what it takes to be a true receiving threat in the NFL.
Njoku is still only 24 years old, and his $3.03 million cap number works for the Patriots given their newfound breathing room. Bringing in another young tight end alongside Asiasi and Keene might not be the first option for the Patriots, but accumulating talent is part of putting together a good team.
If Belichick sees the fit, he now has the means to pounce should the Browns look to dump Njoku before the season.
Logan Ryan, CB
Just because a player leaves New England in free agency, it does not mean they will be gone for good.
Chung played out his four-year rookie contract with the Patriots after getting picked in the second round, then jumped ship for a three-year deal Philadelphia. His stint with the Eagles did not go as planned, as he was cut just one year into his contract, but Belichick welcomed him back and Chung has gone on to play an additional six seasons in Foxboro.
A similar story could apply to another former Patriots defensive back, cornerback Logan Ryan.
Ryan played three seasons with the Tennessee Titans, racking up four interceptions, 4.5 sacks, 18 passes defended and 113 tackles in 2019 alone. The Titans elected not to resign Ryan when his contract expired in March, and he has been sitting in the free agent pool ever since.
The Patriots’ secondary is not their most pressing issue on the defensive side of the ball, but bringing in cornerback depth and familiarity at a good price is not a move that should be overlooked.
At the very least, a Ryan-Patriots reunion could prevent the corner from setting up shop in New York or Miami.
Jadeveon Clowney, EDGE
The Patriots don’t typically pursue the biggest fish out there, but they are in the perfect position to do so in 2020.
It isn’t too often that a former No. 1 overall pick and three-time Pro Bowler hits the market at 27, and it’s even more rare when that guy goes four months without a new contract. Jadeveon Clowney posted his worst statistical season since his four-game rookie season in 2014 with the Seattle Seahawks last year, but he has still racked up 32 sacks in his last five seasons.
Unlike most of the other players on this list, bringing in Clowney wouldn’t be cheap. It would likely mean erasing the entirety of the cap space opened up in recent weeks, but a move like that could be worth it if it means bringing in a top-tier pass-rusher.
The Patriots tied for seventh in the league with 47 sacks in 2019, but 13.5 sacks left town in the form of Jamie Collins and Kyle Van Noy. Replacing their production on the outside could prove to be a tall task, but signing Clowney could prove to be the quick fix Belichick needs to sustain his No. 1 defense from a season ago.
Tavon Wilson, S
Tavon Wilson hasn’t been a household name at any point in his career, but he was a key contributor to the Patriots’ 2014 Super Bowl run.
His four years with the Detroit Lions since that season haven’t been a disaster, but he did not come close to experiencing the team success he had in New England. He reunited with his former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia in Detroit, leading to a new career-high 98 tackles in 13 starts in 2019.
The Patriots have two reliable starting safeties in Chung and Devin McCourty, but the depth behind them is considerably more suspect. Dugger was a Senior Bowl standout and second round pick, but given the fact that his most recent experience is in Division II NCAA football, Belichick might want a more experienced reserve on the roster.
Six-year veteran Adrian Phillips signed a two-year contract with New England this offseason, but Wilson is older and knows the system even better. Signing Wilson wouldn’t revamp the defense or require breaking the bank, it would simply be a depth signing that prioritizes familiarity and trust.
Larry Warford, OG
The Patriots are set at offensive guard with Joe Thuney and Shaq Mason holding down the starting jobs at the moment.
But as has happened in the past, injuries can easily throw a wrench into that.
Center David Andrews missed 2019 with a pulmonary embolism, Isaiah Wynn has started just eight games since getting drafted in 2018 and Mason has missed a handful of games in the last two seasons. While Thuney hasn’t missed a game in four seasons, he and the Patriots were unable to agree to a long-term deal before the franchise tag deadline Wednesday.
Larry Warford is 29 and fresh off of three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances, but the New Orleans Saints let him go in May to pave the way for their youth movement up front. In the two months since, Warford has gone unsigned, even though the Saints trusted him enough to give him a $34 million contract just three years ago.
At the very least, Warford could serve as a valuable sixth offensive lineman in running situations in New England. If there are injuries, he would serve as a more experienced and reliable replacement than Najee Toran or Hjalte Froholdt.
So with money to spend, the Patriots could splurge a bit in order to bolster their offensive line and keep Cam Newton’s jersey clean this fall.
Terrelle Pryor, WR
The Patriots’ leading receiver in 2019 – Julian Edelman – was a quarterback in college.
One of the most athletic and dynamic receivers on the free agent market was also a college quarterback – Terrelle Pryor.
Pryor hasn’t played in a regular season game since 2018, but on Sunday, he told TMZ Sports he has had discussions with the Patriots about a potential return to the gridiron. Pryor’s 77 catches, 1,007 yards and four touchdowns for the Browns in 2016 were all career-highs, and he also rushed for 576 yards on 6.9 yards per carry for the Oakland Raiders in 2015.
A dynamic, adaptable playmaker like Pryor would be an entertaining addition to the Patriots’ thin depth chart on the outside. It also helps that he has been singing Newton’s praises this week, saying he would love to play with him.
Pryor also wouldn’t be worth all that much on the open market, meaning cost won’t be an issue. If the Patriots are looking to get faster on offense, the quarterback-turned-receiver could be a good name to throw into the mix.
Eric Reid, S
As previously mentioned, the Patriots only need minimal depth help at safety heading into 2020.
Eric Reid is far from a reserve talent, however, but he is still on the market for a handful of reasons. Reid has seen many ups and downs since being a Pro Bowler as a rookie in 2013, but he wound up posting his best season yet with 130 tackles, five quarterback hits and seven tackles for loss in 2019.
But after Reid knelt alongside former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, his career was thrown out of whack and he was traded to the Carolina Panthers. The safety has continued to receive criticism for being outspoken about Black Lives Matter and participating in other demonstrations, something which could account for the fact that he isn’t on an NFL roster at the moment.
If Reid is just looking to get back on the field and prove his worth yet again, Belichick could be inclined to take a flier on him. Controversial and untouchable players such as Newton, Chad Ochocino and Randy Moss all landed in New England after very few teams gave them the light of day, so bringing in a top-level defensive back like Reid could make sense for both sides at the right price.
