New England Patriots: Top 2018 free agency priority a surprise

The New England Patriots are in uncharted territory this offseason, with a ton of turnover happening across their offense and defense. What is their top priority in free agency?

No matter how poor or successful a team’s season was, there are always major offseason questions on the front burner. The NFL turns over too much for even the best teams to advance a calendar year unscathed. Let’s continue the team-by-team overview with the championship runners-up, the New England Patriots.

The Patriots have holes to fill on defense and even more on offense. Free Agency may prove unkind to New England, so how do they best work their magic? The team’s top priority in free agency is surprising.

Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate the New England Patriots in today’s NFL Sports Debate.

Todd Salem:

The most obvious area of need for New England is on defense, where the Patriots resided at the bottom of the NFL for most of the regular season and got absolutely shredded apart in the Super Bowl. However, what Bill Belichick and his new defensive coordinator do to that unit will become secondary to something on the other side of the ball.

New England’s top three offensive tackles — Nate Solder, Cameron Fleming, and LaAdrian Waddle — are all free agents. After the injury to Marcus Cannon, the line relied on fill-in from Fleming and Waddle, and they delivered. Rex Burkhead and Dion Lewis are also free agents. What happens to this front five and the Pats running game is going to be the most important adjustment to this roster.

Last year, the Patriots actually ended the year with the very best run-blocking offensive line according to Football Outsiders. It was a top 15 unit in pass protection as well. Thanks to a rotating committee of backs that eventually settled on Lewis as its leader, the Patriots had the third-best running game and very best offense in the league. The backs and line allowed Tom Brady to maneuver in the pocket, leading a passing charge that lacked big-play wide receivers.

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New England never seems to need big-name receivers. That is thanks mostly to Brady and Rob Gronkowski, but it is also because of the line up front and the ability for any and all running backs to become major weapons in the passing game. If one or both of those aspects take a considerable step back, the entire Patriots offense nearly collapses.

Half the league is on the lookout for a left tackle each offseason. The Pats are in an unenviable spot, needing two tackles for their starting five next year. When you pile on top with needs across the defense, the Patriots are in a rare position for them: having major question marks. Goal number one, though, has to be tackle. Brady may be a 40-year old MVP, but he can’t carry replacement-level players across the most important levels of his roster.

Dan Salem:

There’s no doubt that New England needs to retain as many of its offensive linemen as possible, yet I’d argue that Dion Lewis must be priority number one. The Patriots finished last season with the best run-blocking line, but it was 15th in pass protection. This was with fill-in players as you noted. Considering New England is a pass first team, 15th does not cut it. I reckon those fill-ins can be filled in for with other players if necessary.

The primary reason that New England had such a great offense last season was Lewis. The Patriots finally had one running back to rely upon, rather than a semi-balanced committee approach which they had been utilizing by necessity. Consistency at running back and having a successful rusher like Lewis opens up the passing game and protects Brady. Now I realize that Lewis was so successful because of the great offensive line play, but with so much turnover on the New England offense, keeping a proven playmaker is critical.

Gronkowski might retire because of concussions. Brady’s window of success is closing. The Patriots need help on defense. All of those concerns are lessened with a running back who eats up yards and keeps the offense on the field. Perhaps New England finds another gem in free agency or the draft, but Lewis finally broke through last season.

Philadelphia Eagles: Nick Foles Best Cast Scenario

He played in every game, averaging 5.0 yards per carry. They handed him the ball 180 times and he never fumbled. Add in his production in the passing game, averaging 6.7 yards per catch, as well as his contribution to the return game, and he is a steal this offseason. He’s only 27 years old, with less game time minutes on his running legs than most other backs.