Patriots Rumors: Latest Buzz on Tom Brady's Replacement, Phillip Dorsett, More

The New England Patriots have not been in a rush to fill the void left at quarterback by Tom Brady's departure.

Head coach Bill Belichick will choose between in-house option Jarrett Stidham or a solution from outside the franchise through either free agency or a trade.

Since the quarterback market has screeched to a halt, the Patriots do not have to rush to lock in a signal-caller for the 2020 campaign. However, New England has to be more urgent when it comes to the cast that surrounds its quarterback because of outside interest in one of its more productive wide receivers from 2019.

The Pats have also been linked with a pass-rusher coming off a strong season as they look to fill a spot left open by departing free agents.

Latest Rumors

Quarterback Situation

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According to The MMQB's Albert Breer, Stidham stands a chance to win the starting quarterback position:

"I would not count Stidham out. I've talked to enough people who really like him, and I understand the Patriots' strategy drafting quarterbacks as “distressed assets” the last couple years (Danny Etling was another in 2018). Stidham was the No. 1 or 2 QB recruit in the country (depending on ranking) coming out of a storied Texas high school program five years ago, and has overcome a lot, both personally and football-wise."

Stidham might end up as Brady's replacement for a variety of reasons, including his knowledge of the system, age and the team's salary-cap constraints. Because they have spent money in other areas of the roster, the Patriots do not have an exorbitant amount of money to spend on a free agent such as Jameis Winston, Cam Newton or Andy Dalton.

Each of those three would likely require an eight-figure deal if he were to be acquired through free agency or a trade.

Belichick may be willing to take a chance on the fourth-round pick, similar to what he did with Brady at the start of his career. Stidham likely will not win six Super Bowls, but if he achieves success, he could carve out a decent NFL career.

The problem facing the Patriots is the sample size on Stidham's NFL play is minimal, and they do not have time to waste in finding a solution since the Buffalo Bills are improving and will challenge for the AFC East crown.

New England could also dip into the 2020 NFL draft class for quarterback depth, but unless it makes a significant move up from No. 23, the franchise would have to settle for one of the second- or third-tier prospects.

If the Patriots prefer an outside option, they could still have time to choose given a majority of the starting quarterback positions have been filled from movement since free agency opened Wednesday.

Phillip Dorsett

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The Patriots may have to act sooner on a decision to retain wide receiver Phillip Dorsett.

According to Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal, "the Patriots are still showing interest" and "Dorsett has multiple offers and is weighing his options."

Dorsett is an intriguing option to some squads because he would come at a relatively cheap cost. The 27-year-old earned $1.5 million with New England in 2019, and unlike some of the other wideouts on the market, he would not require a significant raise.

According to ESPN's Josina Anderson, at least five teams displayed interest in Dorsett at the start of free agency, including the New York Jets. Bringing back Dorsett would be a wise move for the Patriots, who need consistent targets for whomever is under center in 2020. 

Dorsett had the second-most receiving yards of any New England wide receiver in 2019 with 397. The argument against re-signing him is the potential of Jakobi Meyers and N'Keal Harry, as well as the strong wide receiver class coming through the draft.

If New England settles on Stidham, it could conceivably select a wideout at No. 23 overall to complement Julian Edelman, Meyers and Harry to surround the quarterback with plenty of weapons.

Derek Wolfe

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According to Daniels, the Patriots "are showing interest and have had discussions with" defensive end Derek Wolfe.

With the Denver Broncos last year, Wolfe recorded eight tackles for loss and seven sacks over 12 contests.

Wolfe, who made $8 million in each of the past two seasons, should be viewed as a replacement for Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins in the pass-rushing department. The duo were part of a defensive exodus at the start of free agency that also featured Danny Shelton leaving and Duron Harmon being traded to the Detroit Lions.

New England could provide some stability to its defensive line if it works out a deal for Wolfe. The 30-year-old is an intriguing option because he recorded more than 10 quarterback hits for the third time in his career, a personal best in sacks and his second-highest tackles for loss total last season.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference. Contract information obtained from Spotrac.