Patriots Look to Old Friends to Fill Free Agent Needs
It’s too early in the offseason to jump to any definitive conclusions, but one thing that’s certain is there will be plenty of new faces on the 2015 Patriots. Darrelle Revis and Shane Vereen are gone, and Vince Wilfork and Brandon Browner could soon be signed elsewhere. That doesn’t account for any other players that will be cut or traded this offseason, so there will be a substantial amount of turnover on the roster for the defending Super Bowl champion.
As Bill Belichick is prone to do, he’s turning to his friends for help in acquiring new talent.
We’ll keep our Rutgers jokes to ourselves until draft season, but the early free agency rumblings have linked the Patriots to at least a handful of players Belichick has plenty of intel on.
The hot name Wednesday morning is Jabaal Sheard, a pass rusher from the Cleveland Browns. Remember that former Browns general manager Michael Lombardi is a tenured professor at Belichick University, and he’s been on staff as an “assistant to the coaching staff’’ for a year now. He has Belichick’s ear and his trust, and Sheard is an easy player to advocate for.
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You can never have too many pass rushers in the NFL, and with Darrelle Revis in New York and Brandon Browner’s return very much in doubt, getting after the QB will be critical for the 2015 Patriots. Sheard piled up 15.5 sacks over the past two seasons in Cleveland, and he has the versatility to put his hand in the dirt in a 4-3 defense or stand up as an outside linebacker in a 3-4.
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Ahtyba Rubin is another ex-Brown the Patriots reportedly are interested in, and he makes a lot of sense if Vince Wilfork doesn’t come back on a reduced contract. The 325-pound nose tackle is a stout run stuffer and has eight years of experience despite not turning 29 until July. He could form a massive duo with Sealver Siliga and come off the field on passing downs.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Patriots are said to be interested in Reggie Bush, who played for current tight ends coach Brian Daboll when Daboll was the offensive coordinator in Miami.
Bush is someone we identified as a potential replacement for Shane Vereen as a pass-catching running back. His other suitors include the 49ers and Saints , so the Patriots offer him the best chance to compete for a Super Bowl in 2015. Like with most free agents, however, the prospect of signing Bush likely comes down to money.
The Patriots already added wide receiver Brandon Gibson on a cheap, one-year deal. Gibson played for the Rams when current Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was the offensive coordinator in St. Louis in 2011. While Gibson is no lock to make the team, it’s interesting to think that Danny Amendola also played on that 2011 Rams team, and with Amendola a strong candidate for a contract restructure, the addition of Gibson could offer New England some leverage in negotiations.
Another receiver being linked to the Patriots is Percy Harvin, looking for his fourth team in as many seasons. Harvin is a great play-maker with the ball in his hands and is a great low risk, high reward option as a kick returner and all-around offensive weapon. He also played college football for Urban Meyer at Florida, a program that was a pipeline for the Patriots in recent years.
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