Patriots Are ‘Best Fit’ for the Top Remaining Free Agent, According to ESPN
The New England Patriots are the team that is most interested in signing a specific offensive lineman from the few players who are still available as free agents.
The New England Patriots have completely changed their roster during the summer. The Pats have made a ton of adjustments, with Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf currently heading the way.
They retained Hunter Henry, Kendrick Bourne, and Mike Onwenu while making a number of in-house additions. Drake Maye was the most notable addition to New England’s roster when they selected him with the third overall choice.
The Pats have several alternatives on the free-agent market, and despite all the changes New England made, they might still acquire additional offensive line reinforcements.
The best team to sign the remaining free agents is determined by an article published by ESPN’s Matt Bowen (subscription required).
Donovan Smith, a former offensive lineman for the Kansas City Chiefs, was Bowen’s top choice for the Patriots.
In the 2024 NFL Draft, the Pats selected Penn State tackle Caedan Wallace in the third round, and they also inked Chukwuma Okorafor to a one-year contract this summer.
They still need to provide some up front protection for Maye or Jacoby Brissett even with those two additions, and Smith is their best option.
“But Smith would offer good competition for the left tackle position and, at worst, depth,” Bowen remarked. Last season, he started for the Chiefs in the Super Bowl and recorded a 90.8% pass block victory percentage despite giving up six sacks in 438 pass-block reps.
The nine-year veteran would enter the locker room with playoff experience, having played in at least 12 games each season.
Smith would instantly push for a starting position in 2024 because he has only allowed nine total sacks over the previous three seasons.
It wouldn’t cost much to bring him in, either. Smith would be able to intervene and reinforce the trench lines.
Leave a Reply