Should Patriots Bring Back Trey Flowers?

Pro Football Focus thinks New England should reunite with an old friend.

FOXBORO – The New England Patriots are not afraid of making reunions happen on the football field. Players like Jamie Collins, Ted Karras, Brandon Bolden and Brian Hoyer have all left to join another team and returned to the Patriots.

So should New England bolster their font seven with another former Patriot?

Pro Football Focus suggests the Patriots should sign edge rusher Trey Flowers before training camp starts next week. After leaving New England in 2019, he started 27 games for the Detroit Lions over the past three seasons before becoming a free agent this offseason.

PFF's reasoning:

“New England should add Flowers, who left in free agency after the 2018 season, on a second stint. It wouldn't be out of the question, considering Jamie Collins' three stints with the team. Flowers has an 89.8 PFF grade since entering the NFL in 2015. They play different roles, but the Patriots would benefit from adding another edge defender after releasing Kyle Van Noy this offseason.”

The Patriots would welcome as much help as they can get on the defensive side of the ball after not retaining a number of contributors from last season, including cornerback J.C. Jackson.

Flowers spent four seasons in Foxboro after being drafted 101st overall in 2015. He played in 37 games and racked up 21 total sacks, tied for No. 16 on the all-time team leaderboard.

The team currently has a large group of edge rushers and hybrid outside linebackers, including Matt Judon, Deatrich Wise Jr, Ronnie Perkins, Josh Uche, Anfernee Jennings Henry Anderson and DaMarcus Mitchell.

With the excess amount of players at the position, the move to bring in Flowers is not as pressing as it may seem on paper, but more bodies, especially when the team has four open roster spots, never hurts. 

New England will roll out itsr 2022 defense, with or without Flowers, on July 27 as training camp will officially begin.