Patriots Given Best Chance to Steal AFC East Star

The New England Patriots have been named the best fit for this AFC East division rival star.

Sep 9, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; New York Jets cornerback D.J. Reed (4) gestures before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots are chock full of needs heading into the NFL offseason, but while wide receiver and offensive line may represent their most glaring holes, they also have some pretty significant issues defensively.

One of the Patriots' bigger tasks will be finding another cornerback to put alongside of Christian Gonzalez, who has developed into one of the best corners in football.

Fortunately, New England has more cap space than any other team in the league, so it can certainly unearth its answer in free agency.

ESPN's Matt Bowen has ranked New York Jets star D.J. Reed as the best cornerback available next month, and he has also named the Pats the best fit for the stingy defender.

"Coach Mike Vrabel would be adding a veteran corner in Reed, giving the Patriots another scheme-versatile defender in the secondary opposite Christian Gonzalez," Bowen wrote. "Reed is a highly competitive coverage corner with press-man traits and the transition speed to break on the throw. But he is more of a ball disruptor than playmaker, having 40 pass breakups compared with six interceptions in his career."

Reed is coming off of a 2024 campaign in which he registered 64 tackles, a sack and 11 passes defended while also posting a solid 70.7 overall grade at Pro Football Focus.

Having a pair of lockdown corners is enough to make any defense scary, so if the Patriots are able to bag Reed in free agency, it would certainly represent a significant boost on that side of the ball.

Of course, New England can also look to add a corner via the NFL Draft and look to allocate its free-agent money to more pressing needs, such as the aforementioned areas and perhaps edge rusher. But Reed is definitely a tantalizing option, especially considering that the Pats would be plucking him from an AFC East rival.

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