The New England Patriots need to use their salary cap space wisely in the NFL offseason.
New England currently has $69 million in cap space, according to Spotrac, and most of that money should be spent on offense. If the Patriots decide to select a quarterback with the third overall pick, their free agent spending should lead to surrounding that player with top talent. New England tried this a few seasons ago and failed long term with players like Kendrick Bourne and Hunter Henry.
The Patriots will need to be more selective in their free agent selections ahead of Jerod Mayo’s first year as head coach. This could lead to the avoidance of several free agents. Marquis Brown is not the type of wide receiver the Patriots want on offense. Brown experienced a dip in production following his only 1,000-yard campaign in 2021.
The fifth-year player had just 574 receiving yards and four touchdowns last season with the Arizona Cardinals.
The most interesting statistic is that he was caught 51 times on 101 targets.The Patriots can’t risk signing a receiver who barely hit 50% of his carries last season. Brown could be good somewhere, but the decline in production and numbers in 2023 are enough to send the Patriots in another direction. The Patriots need a true No. 1 wide receiver, not someone who can fill a backup role.T
yler Boyd was the No. 1 option. 3 of the Cincinnati Bengals in recent years. He was probably looking for a chance to be number one somewhere.There’s no way the Patriots are getting a player of Boyd’s caliber with the no. 1. It will take someone like Boyd’s Cincinnati teammate Tee Higgins to lead a wide receiver hall that currently includes JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Tyquan Thornton and Demario Douglas.
New England should take a chance on either Higgins or Calvin Ridley, and if that doesn’t work out, they could consider signing Marvin Harrison Jr. I took the No. 3 pick. What he can’t do is assume that receiver number 2 or no. 3 lifetime will suddenly become his No. 1 target.
That didn’t work for the Patriots in the last wave of free agency and has contributed to their current situation. The Patriots should try to find the best tight end on the market and not settle for a mid-level free agent like Austin Hooper. Hooper has not recorded more than 500 receiving yards in each of the last four seasons. He did not score a touchdown for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023.
Hooper’s declining production will force the Patriots to move away from him in hopes of revitalizing their offense.Re-signing Hunter Henry could be an option for New England, but if that doesn’t work out, they’ll have to turn to Dalton Schultz or Noah Fant. A reliable center will do wonders for the development of a new starting quarterback.
