The first day of the new league year will be March 13 and, as always, the Patriots feature an interesting crop of internal free agents, headlined by Kyle Dugger, Michael Onwenu and Josh Uche, but also including reliable veteran tight end Hunter Henry and emerging edge defender Anfernee Jennings, among others.
With a projected $73 million in cap space to play with (according to @PatsCap), the team will have to balance how they fill their roster holes between their own players and those external free agents also set to hit the market.
Positional needs at offensive tackle and tight end highlight critical areas that must be filled with some kind of personnel prior to the draft.
Top external free agents around the league include Kansas City’s defensive lineman Chris Jones, Cincinnati receiver Tee Higgins and Carolina edge rusher Brian Burns.
We’ll get to hear from head coach Jerod Mayo and team chairman/CEO Robert Kraft from Orlando, Florida in late March as part of the NFL’s Owner’s Meetings. Rule changes will be among the many things discussed there, as it will also be a chance to check in with the new Patriots regime following the initial weeks of Free Agency.
With the new coach the team will be allowed to begin their offseason workout program earlier this year, starting April 1. That’s a two-week head start on teams with returning head coaches.
The 2024 NFL Draft will take place in Detroit and the Patriots will be one of the key players as they select third-overall, their highest pick since selecting Drew Bledsoe first overall in 1993. The Pats are currently projected with seven picks, including one in each of the first five rounds and then two in the seventh round. They are not expected to receive any further compensatory draft picks which are calculated based on free agent departures.
Still, even with just seven picks, New England should have plenty of capital to move around the draft…
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