It didn’t take long for the New England Patriots to get back on track after losing future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady in free agency to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After one down season, in which they went 7-9, the Patriots were back in the postseason following the 2021 regular season.
They have a new franchise quarterback under center in Mac Jones, who looked poised throughout his rookie season. He had the regular hiccups that a young, inexperienced quarterback would have, but the organization has to be happy with what they have seen thus far.
Giving him another go-to weapon offensively would help Jones elevate his game. The Alabama product operated as a game manager of sorts as a rookie but has the skill set to do plenty more.
While there is a lot of promise offensively, the defense could use some upgrades this offseason. J.C. Jackson is one of the best defensive free agents this year and retaining him should be the Patriots’ No. 1 goal. They could also use some juice in their pass rush, as Matt Judon was the only consistent threat they had to get after the quarterback and his production tailed off at the end of the season.
Judon had 12.5 sacks on the season and the next closest player to him was Kyle Van Noy with five. However, Judon didn’t record a sack the final four games he played in the regular season following a bout with COVID-19. The Patriots went 1-3 and it is hard to imagine the two don’t correlate.
Many people expect New England to get another pass rusher this offseason. Over at ESPN, they shared the best fits for the 50 best free agents in this year’s free agency class. One of the top free agents is Chandler Jones, whom ESPN believes the Patriots are the best fit for.
Jones spent the first four seasons of his career with the Patriots before moving onto the Arizona Cardinals. He was just as dominant there, as he is now their franchise leader in sacks with 71.5. Now 32-years old, he would still make a lot of sense for New England in free agency.
The two sides have familiarity with each other, which is always good. Despite his age, he showed he has plenty of juice left as a pass rusher, which will provide New England with the bookend they desperately need for Judon.
ESPN also points out that Jones succeeds most at this point in his career with a schemed front. That is something Bill Belichick can provide and his versatility is something the Patriots can certainly make use of.
