A Complete Rebuild or 4 Key Additions and Re-sign Our Free Agents

[mgteich]

We are no competing for the SB next year, but perhaps " a complete rebuild" is an excessive position.

ONE PLAN
1) Sign a veteran QB (3 year contract) who can start until our rookie is ready and be a backup after that
2) Draft a QB with our top 5 pick
3) Sign a veteran OT and draft an OT (we could extend Brown)
4) Re-sign or replace Bourne, Henry, Zeke and Onwenu.
5) Re-sign or replace Dugger, Uche and Jennings.
6) acquire a top WR
============
BTW
For this to work, we would need to do more backloading of contracts. I think that we do less of this than most teams. Every year, we marvel at how teams are able to acquire so many players when they have so little cap money.

For example, a 3 year $48M contract might cost $7M against the cap, or even less.

 

[203Pat]

Acquiring a top receiver likely costs a high pick via trade or the draft and if you're taking a QB then you have to wait on that option. As of right now the 2024 free agent tackle class looks worse than the 2023 class and I want no part of paying Brown long term money. He is one of those guys that coasts the minute he gets paid and we already saw his play drastically improve the game after he got a pay bump this year. Out of your re-sign options the only one worth re-signing is Onwenu because he's young but Bill just drafted 15 interior linemen in April so I doubt Onwenu is back. I am hoping Dugger is back but at this point I am starting to doubt it and reports came out there have been no contact talks with Uche since the summer so who knows about him. Jennings is the type of guy Bill would re-sign (and probably overpay) because he is an average player who won't cost a lot. As for drafting a QB that is an absolute must and as of right now we are hovering in that top 5 range in the draft.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

We lead, or are close to the lead, in the NFL in 2024 cap space. What the team shouldn’t do is what they did in 2021, which is aggressively backload contracts despite having tons of room, and pay top dollar to mid-tier free agents.

 

[Boomer B]

 

[sb1]

As of right now the 2024 free agent tackle class looks worse than the 2023 class

Does it? That sucks.

 

[203Pat]

Does it? That sucks.

Spotrac shows:

Tyron Smith who will be 33 and has been really banged up lately
Duane Brown also banged up and pushing 40
Trent Brown
Jonah Williams who was apparently floated in trade rumors last year but playing better this year in Cincinnati so may be re-signed.
Yosh Nijman who lost his starting job in Green Bay last year and is now a backup this season

Then mostly aging journeymen and backups.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Do as much as you can on offense. Id be very happy with one of the top 2 qbs or harrison with pick 1. If not there’s some good tackles available. Fa id focus on OL. Im not a huge fan of higgins and not sure of any other good wr’s being available. But if you can at least build that line and hope Rham returns to form thats at least something to help the new qb.


Defense should still be good even if we can’t retain dugger and uche. Id probably try trading both before the deadline. But this side of the ball should be left mostly in tact imo.

 

[Kontradiction]

Tear it down to the studs. Try to get a high enough pick to take Drake Maye in the draft and target a LT either in round 2, or by trading back into the first round.

 

[AQPE]

There will be no quick fixes, regardless of who is making the decisions. They need to upgrade at every position on offense, but certainly the most important upgrades would be at QB, OT, and WR.

Of those three positions, the one that is in most dire need of improvement for the Pats IMHO is OT, and in my view that is the position for which there is the lowest supply of talent either in free agency or the draft. As much as I would love to see them get someone at QB or WR who could be a weapon for them next season, they have to get their OL solidified or the QB or WR will not be able to be nearly as productive.

 

[SteveKiner]

There will be no quick fixes, regardless of who is making the decisions. They need to upgrade at every position on offense, but certainly the most important upgrades would be at QB, OT, and WR.

Of those three positions, the one that is in most dire need of improvement for the Pats IMHO is OT, and in my view that is the position for which there is the lowest supply of talent either in free agency or the draft. As much as I would love to see them get someone at QB or WR who could be a weapon for them next season, they have to get their OL solidified or the QB or WR will not be able to be nearly as productive.

I know this will go against what most people want, but if the Pats get a top 5 pick, I think they should do everything they can, including trading up, to draft Joe Alt OT Notre Dame. I used to be just an Irish fan but now mostly watch the SEC and don't really focus on the other teams, but this past 2 years, I started following ND again and I think Alt is the real deal. I like him much better then the other prospects like Monheim, Fashanu or Latham or Barton. No idea what the future hold for Trent Brown, but if the Pats want to move, or move on, from Brown, Alt is the best LT prospect I have seen recently. Good bloodlines too. If the Pats want to keep Brown at LT then maybe you try to get a Latham or Monheim later to fill the massive hole at RT. I would love to see the Pats draft both Alt and Latham to patch their 2 tackle spots for the next 10 years. I think the Pats biggest problem is their OL. They are so bad, that you can't tell if Mac Jones, or Zappe, or anyone else is good, serviceable or bad. The QB never knows where or when the pressure is coming from. It leads to all kinds of problems. Same with the WR's. the Pats might have 3 great deep threats but we will never know because the QB's rarely have 3+ seconds to throw and never for 3 plays in a row. If the WR's cant get open 1/2 second into their route, it is too late. I am of the school that you build the trenches first and in my opinion Alt would be the best choice to do that. Then again, I thought Tony Mandarich was the best pick in the 1989 nfl draft. You know Aikman, B Sanders, D. Thomas, D Sanders 4 HOF'ers and my guy in the top 5. So take this for what it is worth.

 

[TheBeers]

I would re-sign Dugger, Uche, Onwenu if possible. wouldn't mind keeping Jennings, Henry, Gesicki, Zeke if they are cheap. The D is very solid, I want to keep the players we can there.

QB, WR, OT are the issue, all three positions probably in contention for our #1 pick depending where it is. There are a couple of QB's that could probably be had via trade (fields, Murray, Russ) not that i like those options much. If we were to get a solid vet QB, and significantly upgrade WR, OT, I could maybe be talked into that after 8 or so beers.. But i'd prefer to start over especially at QB.

I'm still kinda on the fence if BB should be back. I have all the gratitude and respect for him in the world.. But everyone gets old and starts to lose it, not sure if he's there yet but it's ugly this past few seasons.

 

[PowerRunRevival]

they should trade anyone they can get value for. Give the new GM more draft capital to remake the team.

 

[Joey007]

If Maye and Williams are gone, I’m really not opposed to pairing Jimmy G with a QB selected in the late 1st to early 2nd round. This draft class is deep deep for QB.

Go get an OT like Joe Alt or Fashanu, or a Marvin Harrison Jr. At WR with that top pick.

 

[Joey007]

they should trade anyone they can get value for. Give the new GM more draft capital to remake the team.

What trade value do we feel we can get for the players on our roster with expiring deals? Is there anyone we’d get more than a mid rounder for?

 

[PowerRunRevival]

What trade value do we feel we can get for the players on our roster with expiring deals? Is there anyone we’d get more than a mid rounder for?

I read that Uche could fetch a 3rd/4th rounder. If they haven’t tried to extend him by now they might as well get a pick for him.

Judon has to be pretty valuable.

 

[Ring 6]

We are no competing for the SB next year, but perhaps " a complete rebuild" is an excessive position.

ONE PLAN
1) Sign a veteran QB (3 year contract) who can start until our rookie is ready and be a backup after that
2) Draft a QB with our top 5 pick
3) Sign a veteran OT and draft an OT (we could extend Brown)
4) Re-sign or replace Bourne, Henry, Zeke and Onwenu.
5) Re-sign or replace Dugger, Uche and Jennings.
6) acquire a top WR
============
BTW
For this to work, we would need to do more backloading of contracts. I think that we do less of this than most teams. Every year, we marvel at how teams are able to acquire so many players when they have so little cap money.

For example, a 3 year $48M contract might cost $7M against the cap, or even less.

You just called for acquiring 12 players. How is that not a rebuild. They will actually, no matter what, acquire more than that with draft picks and free agency. They project to have 93,000,000 of cap space, before any cuts.

 

[mgteich]

You just called for acquiring 12 players. How is that not a rebuild. They will actually, no matter what, acquire more than that with draft picks and free agency. They project to have 93,000,000 of cap space, before any cuts.

semantics, which is why I list the positions

How many new players did we have this year? Will it be a lot more next year?
=========
And I did discuss a "complete" rebuild.

I don't expect any "rebuild" of the Defense, just the extension or re-signing of Dugger, Uche and Jennings. We will likely have fewer changes than in most years, hardly a complete rebuild.
============
AND EVEN ON OFFENSE
Re-signing players is the opposite of rebuild. If we re-sign Brown, I call for 2 QB's, an OT and a WR. I agree that this is a rebuild because of the importance of the positions

 

[Ring 6]

semantics, which is why I list the positions

How many new players did we have this year? Will it be a lot more next year?
=========
And I did discuss a "complete" rebuild.

I don't expect any "rebuild" of the Defense, just the extension or re-signing of Dugger, Uche and Jennings. We will likely have fewer changes than in most years, hardly a complete rebuild.
============
AND EVEN ON OFFENSE
Re-signing players is the opposite of rebuild. If we re-sign Brown, I call for 2 QB's, an OT and a WR. I agree that this is a rebuild because of the importance of the positions

You don’t seem to realize this is a 1-5 team with 93 million plus to spend

 

[VectorPrime]

Start over and build up carefully.

 

[Pape]

Left tackle followed by the right tackle should be priority number 1 and 1a.

Address the line. Then worry about adding the other talent. Keep Sack Jones upright and he is serviceable in that position, as much as any vet QB you would bring in will be.

And jettison Trent Brown. Get rid of him this year if there are any takers.

Go after guys like Calvin Ridley next year and Brandon Aiyuk the following year. Overpay if you have to.

But fix the damn line first.