Free-Agent Contracts Patriots Must Consider Before Training Camp
The New England Patriots will be a work in progress for all of the 2024 NFL regular season.
The hope is the Patriots become competitive with Drake Maye at the helm by the second half of the season.
The questions surrounding what the team will look could prevent it from exploring the veteran free-agent market before training camp.
New England may be willing to trust the current players on its roster to see what it has for the 53-man squad.
Conversely, some veteran players may not see New England as a good opportunity with no likely path to the postseason.
With all that being said, the Patriots should at least look at the market and see who would be willing to come to Foxborough in an attempt to improve the roster and surprise some critics in 2024.
Cam Akers
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New England may be the perfect spot for Cam Akers to revive his career.
The Patriots have Rhamondre Stevenson at the top of the running back depth chart, but after that, there could be some questions about production.
Antonio Gibson will be more valuable in the passing game, while Kevin Harris and JaMycal Hasty appear to be fighting for the No. 3 role.
Akers, who had 167 rushing yards between Minnesota and Los Angeles in 2023, could come to New England and carve out a supporting role in the ground game alongside Stevenson.
There is a very real scenario in which the Patriots have to rely on the ground game in a few games to take some pressure off Drake Maye.
If that is the case, the Patriots would like not to completely wear down Stevenson, and that is where someone like Akers could make a difference.
Latavius Murray
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Latavius Murray could be signed for one specific purpose.
The veteran running back scored 59 touchdowns in his career, including four with the Buffalo Bills last season.
Murray could be utilized in goal-line situations to help the Patriots offense with their scoring.
Of course, Stevenson could fill that role, but if he is worn down on certain drives from getting into the red zone, the Patriots may be able to use another running back who pounds in between the tackles.
Murray scored at least four touchdowns in all but one of his 10 NFL seasons and he found the end zone on six occasions in six of those seasons.
He would bring something different to the backup role than Gibson, who would then be able to focus on being the Patriots' pass-catching ace out of the backfield.
Adoree Jackson
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The practical move on defense would be for the Patriots to bring in a veteran cornerback.
Christian Gonzalez and Jonathan Jones are currently marked down as the starters, but the depth behind them could use some work.
It may be hard for the Patriots to land Xavien Howard and Stephon Gilmore, who may look to contenders first before New England.
Adoree Jackson could be a good fit to fill any gaps in the secondary. He recorded 63 tackles and had one interception with the New York Giants last season.
The Patriots realistically need three strong corners to deal with the passing attacks across the AFC East.
The last thing the Patriots want is to be torched by Josh Allen, Tua Tagovailoa and Aaron Rodgers and for that to lead to six defeats in 2024.
They at least want to be competitive and potentially play the role of spoiler later in the season. An addition at corner at least helps with that goal.
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