Patriots Mailbag (Part I): Defensive Strategy, Free Agency Must-Haves and More

The New England Patriots have had a relatively slow start to begin the 2022 NFL free agency period. From the return of veterans such as Devin McCourty and James White to the departure of J.C. Jackson and Ted Karras, the Patriots continue to make moves with an eye on the upcoming season.

This weekend, Patriot Maven opened up our mailbag to answer your Patriots questions. Here are some of the week’s best questions for #MavenMike:

Q: Do you see a transition to more 4-3 in the Front Seven?

From: Matt Urban @mattuurban

This is a great question, Matt. It is no secret that the Patriots are looking to infuse some youth and mulch more speed into their linebacking corps for 2022. Several of the Patriots rivals will be employing power offenses in the upcoming season, which means the Pats are going to have to match speed with speed. Based on that, I can see the Pats utilizing more 4-3 this season. That being said, they will not abandon the 3-4. I expect a blend of both fronts. Still, 4-3 sets will require some creativity and a bit more aggression in the pass rush. For that, I could see Christian Barmore rushing as a three-technique. The Patriots will also need to add someone to play at the end of the line. In this case, a reunion with Trey Flowers makes almost too much sense not to happen. In any case, I would look for more 4-3 looks from New England this season.

Q: What position do you feel is a must in free agency? That’s just too big a risk to take in the draft and the Patriots should really fill with a more experienced player?

From: Clare Cooper @clazzyclare

Once again, Clare delivers with perhaps the most pressing question surrounding the New England Patriots. Despite a slow start to the 2022 free agency signing period, the Pats are clearly not done building their roster. Much is being made about the ‘holes’ on the Patriots roster, most notably at cornerback, wide receiver and along the offensive line. Although some would say that the offensive line will be addressed via free agency by default, I would argue that finding a veteran offensive lineman is the Pats priority heading into the second wave of free agency. The Pats remain in on Trent Brown, and would prefer to see him return to his role at right tackle. However, the Pats are planning for contingency. They have strong interest in former Buffalo Bills lineman Ryan Bates, who might be a good fit at left guard. Other names that could attract the Pats would be former Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts’ lineman Eric Fisher, or former Los Angeles Chargers’ swing lineman Michael Schofield. The 2022 NFL Draft is stocked with offensive line talent, and I expect the Pats to address the position there as well. Still, I would be very surprised if New England did not add at least one starting-caliber experienced veteran to their offensive line in 2022.

Q: Is anything to be read into Ty Montgomery being listed as a wide receiver by the Pats in the transactions? I know he was a wide receiver when drafted by GB, and injuries forced the move to running back where he found his niche. Is it just semantics (not like he’ll be a franchise tag guy)?

From: Jason Sullivan @Sully6827

This actually raised my eyebrow a bit too, Jason. While Montgomery has more prominently been used as a running back, as well as a core special teamer, as of late, he does have the skill set to be a pass catching option. As a backfield receiver, he has compiled 1104 receiving yards on 139 catches with three scoring receptions throughout his career. Last year, he only caught 16 passes for 95 yards and zero touchdowns for the New Orleans Saints. While New England almost always has a reason for everything they do, I would not read too much into the tea leaves on listing Montgomery as a wide receiver. My understanding is that the team has plans to utilize his abilities as a runner and a pass catcher. As such, expect him to line-up at running back, receiver, and even as a hybrid fullback on select looks throughout 2022.

Q: Is what we are seeing this off-season/FA representative of people of quality like [Dave] Ziegler leaving and taking good decisions with him…Or is it an obvious reaction to huge spending last year by the team and now waiting for a lot of good deal-fits rather than a few big splashes?

From: Patriots Feeder @patriotsfeeder

This is a question that is on a lot of Patriots fans’ minds. While Ziegler deserves his share of credit for the Patriots performance in building a much-improved roster in 2021, he was not alone in doing so. New Pats’ Director of Player Personnel Matt Groh and scouting consultant Eliot Wolf also played significant roles in New England’s free agent splash. They are still in place, meaning that much of the brain trust that pursued some of the most prominent available players on the market just one year ago is playing a major part in those same decisions this season. It is also important to remember that the Pats entered free agency in 2021 with approximately $65,290,900 in available salary cap space, (credit: Miguel Benzan @patscap), and the team would commit north of $190 million to seven free agents, most of which came within hours of the start of the NFL’s legal tampering window. Despite some of the uninformed radio ga-ga one may hear over the New England airwaves, the salary cap is very real, and requires adherence. As a result, the Pats have set their strategy based on position need, as well as financial means. With several of the potential free agent splashes out of their predetermined price range, New England will be much more active in the second wave of free agency heading into 2022.