Report: Patriots Prioritizing Eagles Star Defender in Free Agency

The New England Patriots are reportedly prepared to make a serious push for this Philadelphia Eagles star in NFL free agency.

Sep 16, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams (93) in a game against the Atlanta Falcons during the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots are armed with expansive cap room heading into NFL free agency, more than any other team in the league.

And with the Patriots having glaring needs up and down the roster, that means they will be in on just about everyone once free agency begins.

But apparently, New England is zeroing in on a few players in particular, and one of them is Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams.

"A top target to monitor is Philadelphia defensive tackle Milton Williams, who is considered a good fit in [Mike] Vrabel’s system," via MassLive. "The 25-year-old finished with a career-high five sacks and 10 quarterback hits last fall. Given the uncertainty surrounding Christian Barmore’s health and Davon Godchaux’s future in Foxborough, Williams could bring stability and a championship pedigree to the middle of the defense."

Williams was dominant in the Eagles' Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs, finishing with four tackles, a couple of sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

The Louisiana Tech product was certainly not a household name heading into 2024, but thanks to his performance on the biggest stage, Williams is generating considerable buzz.

Of course, the question is whether or not Williams' Super Bowl showing will result in the former third-round pick becoming overpaid on the open market.

Williams has never made a Pro Bowl, and he posted a 43.1 run defense grade at Pro Football Focus this past season.

Obviously, the Pats have plenty of money to spend, but they also need to be careful where they allocate their resources and can't fling cash around just because they have cap space.

Williams would definitely represent a great pickup for the Patriots, but cost matters. We'll see if New England is able to bag him on a reasonable contract.

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