New England Patriots' Offensive Free Agent Targets

Free agency in the NFL starts on March 14th at 2 PM Mountain Time.  The New England Patriots, like any other team, have work to do in free agency, especially on offense, in order to make another run at the Super Bowl.

The first order of business for the Patriots is to re-sign offensive tackle Nate Solder.  He is a free agent and plenty of teams will be calling for his services.  Solder blocks on Tom Brady’s blindside and has been one of the reasons for Brady’s success during the last 7 years.

If the Patriots decide to let him go in free agency, the market isn’t the best for left tackles.  Chris Clark and Greg Robinson are two top ones.  They would help the Patriots, but they may not protect Tom Brady as well as Solder did.  Of course they could also draft one if they don’t like what they see on the open market.

The Patriots also are going to look for a running back.  The only two under contract are James White and Mike Gillislee. The team would really like to re-sign Dion Lewis.  If they are unable to do so, however, there are plenty of running backs to add.

They could always go after Jonathan Stewart.  He is not a bad back to have on the roster.  Stewart doesn’t have to play every single snap but be can be a change-of-pace runner.  In his 10 years with the Panthers, Stewart rushed for 7,318 yards and 51 touchdowns.  Those are not bad numbers.  His problem has been holding onto the football, with 23 fumbles and 15 of them lost to turnovers.

New England may want to make a call to Doug Martin.  It was a surprise the Buccaneers let him go.  Martin is not as experienced as Stewart with only 6 NFL seasons.  He is productive with 4,633 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns.  And he is better at holding onto the football with only 8 fumbles, losing 7 of them.  Both Stewart and Martin would  improve the Patriots’ running game.

Those are just a few of the names the New England Patriots may sign on offense during free agency.  The Patriots will decide which players are the best fit for the team for next year and for years to come.  The worst case is that they will use the NFL Draft to fix holes on offense.

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