The New England Patriots need to do a better job of protecting Tom Brady, so signing the premier offensive tackle on the free agent market would be a dream move.
With the new league year almost upon us, free agency is the next event on the NFL’s calendar. Free agency is a time when prudent teams can find players that will change their fortunes for the better. On the other hand more haphazard franchises will sink their money into players who won’t ultimately be worth it, or worse, will torpedo their playoff chances for years.
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With that in mind, let’s look at what the New England Patriots need most in free agency and what player would be the best fit.
The Patriots, a team that is notoriously frugal and typically avoids high priced free agents, nearly forced overtime in the AFC Championship game against the Denver Broncos, just missing out on a spot in Super Bowl 50.
When you have Tom Brady at quarterback, it’s easy to conceal your team’s flaws but as Bill Belichick and Patriots fans found out in the AFC Championship game, there is a at least one place where they are desperate to improve.
During that game, Tom Brady was sacked four times and hit 23 times total. Von Miller, who lead the charge to pummel Brady, accumulated 2.5 sacks and routinely made backup right tackle, Marcus Cannon, look like a turnstile. Cannon playing right tackle was the result of a Patriots offensive line shakeup that began with starting left tackle being placed on season-ending IR.
This is where the addition of a right tackle who is a good run blocker, but an excellent pass blocker, would have made a gigantic difference.
Mitchell Schwartz, a 2nd round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2012, is just that player. The four year pro, who has not missed a game since entering the league, rated as the best right tackle in all of football by Pro Football Focus in 2015 (86.6). He also proved that he hang with the best as Schwartz held Von Miller to without a sack when the Browns and Broncos played in 2015.
Signing a player like Schwartz may not be a move that is typical of the Patriots, as he will be coveted by a number of teams, but his addition will allow for stability in 2016 and flexibility after. New England’s current right tackle, Sebastian Vollmer, is a free agent in 2017 (as is the aforementioned Marcus Cannon) and Schwartz’s presence on the roster would make the decisions the Patriots have to make at the position much simpler.
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The Patriots cannot allow their Hall of Fame quarterback to continue to take the kind of punishment he did in the AFC Championship game. Mitchell Schwartz needs to be their top target in free agency.