2018 Signings & Roster Moves

[BigKen]

Patriots sign QB A.J. McCarron. Does this mean BB will not draft a QB?? Or will he draft one for competition for Hoyer and Brady?? WTF??

 

[Shoeshine Boy]

Only offered a deal so far. McCarron got left without a seat in the game of QB musical chairs...but he's started and won games in the league and might be a viable option to bridge the gap from Brady to the next guy. I like it.

 

[Shoeshine Boy]

Burkhead re-signed.

 

[BigKen]

The New England Patriots have one less pressing need on offense after they reportedly brought back running back Rex Burkhead on a three-year deal.

The Burkhead deal was first reported by The Boston Globe’s Jim McBride. The length of the contract was reported by NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

With Dion Lewis headed to the Tennessee Titans, the Patriots had just James White, Mike Gillislee and Brandon Bolden on their running back depth chart. Burkhead immediately slots in as the Patriots’ starter for 2018 and possibly beyond.

Burkhead has the versatility to play as an early-down runner and on third down as a pass catcher. He also can be used as a short-yardage back and on special teams. He’s by far the Patriots’ most versatile running back, and he adds unpredictability on offense when he’s on the field.

White is limited to pass-catching duties, while Gillislee had just one catch on one target with the Patriots in 2017. Burkhead carried the ball 64 times for 264 yards with five touchdowns and had 30 catches on 36 targets for 254 yards with three more scores last season. Rib and knee injuries limited him to just 10 games, however.

The Patriots should still look to add another running back either through free agency or the draft to compete with Gillislee and Bolden. The Patriots could still decide Gillislee isn’t worth his $2.2 million cap hit in 2018. Some potential names on the open market who could interest the Patriots are Doug Martin, Danny Woodhead, Shane Vereen and LeGarrette Blount.

Since Burkhead is so versatile, the Patriots can look at a big back or a sub back to fill out their training camp depth.

After losing Lewis, re-signing Burkhead was necessary for the Patriots. The Patriots lost Lewis, Malcolm Butler, Nate Solder and Danny Amendola in free agency. Burkhead is the most high-profile free agent they’ve brought back this offseason.

 

[SDGuy73]

Patriots’ Reported Offer To Malcolm Butler Last Offseason Might Raise Eyebrows

See you Malcolm, don't let the door hit you in the ass....

Bitch about money the entire time he was here when he was a small school risk BB took.
Then didn't want to play out his UFA contract.
Then refused to take the decent offer given.

Helluva few plays to finish out 49 though. Thanks for that.

I would prefer the door does hit him in the ass after reading that.

yeah...on second thought...

I always question shit like this. Is there any truth to this? Why is this coming out a year later? Fishy.

 

[BigKen]

I always question shit like this. Is there any truth to this? Why is this coming out a year later? Fishy.

No one in the Boston media wants to do anything that would piss off BB or the Krafts and letting out info like this a year before Butler either signed or left could be a problem. I wrote in several threads last year that he was offered a decent contract but I never had the numbers. Tom Curran of NBCSB hinted that MB was offered a really good contract but he was pissed that he didn't get Gilmore's money. The big difference is that MB played great after his SB heroics for one year. He wanted to renegotiate his rookie contract and BB told him that he'd have his chance after that contract expired and that the Patriots would pay him fair.

Malcolm Butler started burning his bridges two years ago. He was pissed that the Pats would not renegotiate the contract in his third year and he worse this past year getting $4.1M instead of Gilmore's $14M even though he had one year left. Now we find out that the money was excellent. $11M instead of $4M. No matter how much he makes, he'll never ever make up that $7M he turned down. That tells me that he and his agent are stupid.

 

[SDGuy73]

Patriots sign QB A.J. McCarron. Does this mean BB will not draft a QB?? Or will he draft one for competition for Hoyer and Brady?? WTF??

Unless they release Hoyer, I don't see them drafting a QB. No need to have 4 QB's on the roster. I thought AJ played pretty well when he filled in for whatshisface. And that team is dysfunctional. He'll get much better coaching and learn from Brady. Smart move on his part.

 

[Shoeshine Boy]

Reports that the @Patriots offered free agent QB A.J. McCarron a contract are completely false, league source confirms.

 

[BigKen]

Reports that the @Patriots offered free agent QB A.J. McCarron a contract are completely false, league source confirms.

Probably the same about Peterson. Good job Shoeshine. Someone has to keep us in the boat.

 

[SDGuy73]

Reports that the @Patriots offered free agent QB A.J. McCarron a contract are completely false, league source confirms.

Conflicting reports of Patriots' interest in AJ McCarron as Tom Brady's backup

I thought this was great when BK posted that the Patriots signed him. I can't find any info saying that. Who knows if he even has an offer. He is 27. I'm sure he thought someone would offer him a starting job. Instead, stupid teams like the Jets and Cardinals signed retread and a QB who can't stay healthy.

 

[SDGuy73]

Reports that the @Patriots offered free agent QB A.J. McCarron a contract are completely false, league source confirms.

Probably the same about Peterson. Good job Shoeshine. Someone has to keep us in the boat.

NFLN is reporting the Bills signed AJ to a two-year deal.

 

[BigKen]

The Patriots are going to really have a hard time signing any free agents. Right now they have about $20M of cap space and there are teams with tons of money and a football field of cap space. The Patriots sources have got to really keep things quiet. Every time the Patriots have been in on any FA so far this year, it's been leaked and they have been left holding an empty bag. As much as we fans love to hear all the news, the Pats need to say nothing until thee is ink drying on paper.

 

[CreepCreep2014]

SO wait....BB and the Pats offered Butler that kind of money, but have not made a move towards any CB in FA so far?? How is that...you're willing to pay him that, but won't even approach one of these FA CB cause you wont pay them? Makes no sense to me.

A CB that I keep hearing about is Ryan Lewis who NE paid like a rookie to keep him on the PS. NE actually blocked another team from him by paying him a lot more money....I never heard of him, and didn't know this. There are reports that BB is very high on him, but didn't have room for him last yr. Anyone heard about him...

 

[BigKen]

Ryan Lewis was a four year starter at Pittsburgh. He's 23. 6'0" 200 lbs.
Has excellent cover speed and incredible closing speed and can tackle like a linebacker.

Basically he's a faster, harder hitting Gilmore.

 

[BigKen]

How Patriots' depth chart looks after free-agent defections
March 15,2018 8:02 AM ET

• 
  
  Mike ReissESPN Staff Writer
  Close
  • Covered Patriots since 1997
  • Joined ESPN in 2009

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots have arguably had as many notable free-agent defections as any team in the NFL, which is a reminder of the significant change ahead in 2018.

With that as a springboard, and with the understanding that more additions are ahead in free agency and the draft, let’s take a look at the current depth chart:


Quarterback

Tom Brady

Brian Hoyer

Brady, the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player, turns 41 on Aug. 3 and has two years remaining on his contract. He's been saying goodbye to some of his "brothers for life" on Instagram over the past few days, which is never easy. He's always noted his motivation for the "next one" -- in terms of Super Bowl championships.

Running back

James White

Rex Burkhead

Mike Gillislee

Brandon Bolden

Dion Lewis, who opened last season as the No. 4 option behind the aforementioned three rushers before rising to the top spot in the seventh week of the year, scored a four-year, $23 million deal with $11.5 million in guarantees from Tennessee. The Patriots haven’t drafted a running back since White in 2014 (fourth round).

Wide receiver

Brandin Cooks

Julian Edelman

Chris Hogan

Phillip Dorsett/Malcolm Mitchell/Kenny Britt/Riley McCarron/Cody Hollister

Losing the clutch play of Danny Amendola, who agreed to a two-year, $12 million deal with Miami, could hurt down the homestretch and into the playoffs, but there is still a lot of talent on the depth chart. Edelman and Mitchell are coming off knee injuries that cost them their 2017 seasons.

TE

Rob Gronkowski

Dwayne Allen

Jacob Hollister

Will Tye

James Develin (FB)

Gronkowski, who earned All-Pro honors in 2017, is scheduled to earn a base salary of $8 million in 2018, and then $9 million in 2019. As long as he's in uniform, the Patriots are in good shape at tight end.

Offensive line

LT – Cole Croston/Antonio Garcia

LG – Joe Thuney/Ted Karras

C – David Andrews/James Ferentz

RG – Shaq Mason/Jason King

RT – Marcus Cannon/Andrew Jelks

The biggest hole is at left tackle after Nate Solder’s free-agent departure. Croston is a 2017 undrafted free agent out of Iowa who showed enough promise to earn a roster spot as a rookie, and Garcia is a 2017 third-round pick who missed last season on the non-football illness list. Free agents LaAdrian Waddle and Cameron Fleming were called starting-caliber players by line coach Dante Scarnecchia last year, and they could potentially return and be part of the mix.

Defensive tackle

Malcom Brown

Lawrence Guy

Danny Shelton

Adam Butler/Vincent Valentine

Shelton, the No. 12 overall pick in the 2015 draft who projects as a space-eating nose-tackle type after being acquired in a trade with the Browns, upgrades this group.

Defensive end/outside linebacker

Trey Flowers

Deatrich Wise Jr.

Derek Rivers

Eric Lee

Shea McClellin

Harvey Langi/Geneo Grissom/Keionta Davis

Rivers, the team’s top draft pick from 2017 (third round, No. 83 overall), missed his rookie season with a torn ACL. He could help boost the pass rush.

Linebacker

Dont’a Hightower

Kyle Van Noy

Elandon Roberts

Nicholas Grigsby

Hightower’s return after missing half of last season with a torn pectoral muscle, will help solidify this group, although given his injury history, he might have to be managed carefully.

Cornerback

Stephon Gilmore

Eric Rowe

Jonathan Jones

Cyrus Jones/Ryan Lewis/Jomal Wiltz

Malcolm Butler is now in Tennessee (5 years, $61 million), and there is a large playing-time void to fill alongside Gilmore after Butler logged 98.8, 96.7 and 97.8 percent of the defensive snaps in each of the last three regular seasons.

Safety

Devin McCourty

Patrick Chung

Duron Harmon

Jordan Richards

Nate Ebner/Brandon King/David Jones/Damarius Travis

The Patriots run their big nickel three-safety defense as much as any team in the NFL, and this group returns intact from 2017.

Specialists

K – Stephen Gostkowski

P – Ryan Allen

LS – Joe Cardona

The same group is back again for the fourth year in a row.

 

[Shoeshine Boy]

Ryan Lewis was a four year starter at Pittsburgh. He's 23. 6'0" 200 lbs.
Has excellent cover speed and incredible closing speed and can tackle like a linebacker.

Basically he's a faster, harder hitting Gilmore.

Lewis only started his senior year at Pitt. He redshirted and then was a backup and ST guy for 3 years. He had on OK but not great senior year...he was a good tackler, but also racked up a ton of tackles, which as you know is not really something you want from a CB because it means he's giving up a lot of completions. His pro day workout was off the charts and got him into the league, but his college tape rarely lived up to those measurables. So the question with him is, were his issues related to coaching, his inability to take coaching, or is he just a late bloomer? Need to see him on the field this summer to see how much progress he's made, and I'm intrigued by him, but the idea that he's in any way comparable to Gillmore is a pretty big stretch.

 

[Yankee Traveler]

How Patriots' depth chart looks after free-agent defections
March 15,2018 8:02 AM ET

• 
  
  Mike ReissESPN Staff Writer
  Close
  • Covered Patriots since 1997
  • Joined ESPN in 2009

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots have arguably had as many notable free-agent defections as any team in the NFL, which is a reminder of the significant change ahead in 2018.

With that as a springboard, and with the understanding that more additions are ahead in free agency and the draft, let’s take a look at the current depth chart:


Quarterback

Tom Brady

Brian Hoyer

Brady, the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player, turns 41 on Aug. 3 and has two years remaining on his contract. He's been saying goodbye to some of his "brothers for life" on Instagram over the past few days, which is never easy. He's always noted his motivation for the "next one" -- in terms of Super Bowl championships.

Running back

James White

Rex Burkhead

Mike Gillislee

Brandon Bolden

Dion Lewis, who opened last season as the No. 4 option behind the aforementioned three rushers before rising to the top spot in the seventh week of the year, scored a four-year, $23 million deal with $11.5 million in guarantees from Tennessee. The Patriots haven’t drafted a running back since White in 2014 (fourth round).

Wide receiver

Brandin Cooks

Julian Edelman

Chris Hogan

Phillip Dorsett/Malcolm Mitchell/Kenny Britt/Riley McCarron/Cody Hollister

Losing the clutch play of Danny Amendola, who agreed to a two-year, $12 million deal with Miami, could hurt down the homestretch and into the playoffs, but there is still a lot of talent on the depth chart. Edelman and Mitchell are coming off knee injuries that cost them their 2017 seasons.

TE

Rob Gronkowski

Dwayne Allen

Jacob Hollister

Will Tye

James Develin (FB)

Gronkowski, who earned All-Pro honors in 2017, is scheduled to earn a base salary of $8 million in 2018, and then $9 million in 2019. As long as he's in uniform, the Patriots are in good shape at tight end.

Offensive line

LT – Cole Croston/Antonio Garcia

LG – Joe Thuney/Ted Karras

C – David Andrews/James Ferentz

RG – Shaq Mason/Jason King

RT – Marcus Cannon/Andrew Jelks

The biggest hole is at left tackle after Nate Solder’s free-agent departure. Croston is a 2017 undrafted free agent out of Iowa who showed enough promise to earn a roster spot as a rookie, and Garcia is a 2017 third-round pick who missed last season on the non-football illness list. Free agents LaAdrian Waddle and Cameron Fleming were called starting-caliber players by line coach Dante Scarnecchia last year, and they could potentially return and be part of the mix.

Defensive tackle

Malcom Brown

Lawrence Guy

Danny Shelton

Adam Butler/Vincent Valentine

Shelton, the No. 12 overall pick in the 2015 draft who projects as a space-eating nose-tackle type after being acquired in a trade with the Browns, upgrades this group.

Defensive end/outside linebacker

Trey Flowers

Deatrich Wise Jr.

Derek Rivers

Eric Lee

Shea McClellin

Harvey Langi/Geneo Grissom/Keionta Davis

Rivers, the team’s top draft pick from 2017 (third round, No. 83 overall), missed his rookie season with a torn ACL. He could help boost the pass rush.

Linebacker

Dont’a Hightower

Kyle Van Noy

Elandon Roberts

Nicholas Grigsby

Hightower’s return after missing half of last season with a torn pectoral muscle, will help solidify this group, although given his injury history, he might have to be managed carefully.

Cornerback

Stephon Gilmore

Eric Rowe

Jonathan Jones

Cyrus Jones/Ryan Lewis/Jomal Wiltz

Malcolm Butler is now in Tennessee (5 years, $61 million), and there is a large playing-time void to fill alongside Gilmore after Butler logged 98.8, 96.7 and 97.8 percent of the defensive snaps in each of the last three regular seasons.

Safety

Devin McCourty

Patrick Chung

Duron Harmon

Jordan Richards

Nate Ebner/Brandon King/David Jones/Damarius Travis

The Patriots run their big nickel three-safety defense as much as any team in the NFL, and this group returns intact from 2017.

Specialists

K – Stephen Gostkowski

P – Ryan Allen

LS – Joe Cardona

The same group is back again for the fourth year in a row.

Malcolm Brown and Danny Shelton, on the defensive line, along with Dorsett, all first round picks from 2015.

WR's Dorsett, Cooks and Britt, from '15, '14 and '09 first round picks.
Gilmore from '12.
Hightower from '12
McCourty from '10

That is a lot of first round talent.

 

[BigKen]

Lewis only started his senior year at Pitt. He redshirted and then was a backup and ST guy for 3 years. He had on OK but not great senior year...he was a good tackler, but also racked up a ton of tackles, which as you know is not really something you want from a CB because it means he's giving up a lot of completions. His pro day workout was off the charts and got him into the league, but his college tape rarely lived up to those measurables. So the question with him is, were his issues related to coaching, his inability to take coaching, or is he just a late bloomer? Need to see him on the field this summer to see how much progress he's made, and I'm intrigued by him, but the idea that he's in any way comparable to Gillmore is a pretty big stretch.

I called him up online to get the info and it said he was a four year starter at Pitt. Guess internet sources can't be reliable..........8^)

 

[cdumler7]

The Patriots are going to really have a hard time signing any free agents. Right now they have about $20M of cap space and there are teams with tons of money and a football field of cap space. The Patriots sources have got to really keep things quiet. Every time the Patriots have been in on any FA so far this year, it's been leaked and they have been left holding an empty bag. As much as we fans love to hear all the news, the Pats need to say nothing until thee is ink drying on paper.

It doesn't matter if they keep things quiet. The agent of the player will always leak contracts in the hopes of getting other teams to bite. They shop offers all the time. Heck even when the player verbally agrees to a deal the agent keeps calling teams to see if they can get something better. I remember with the Broncos when they signed Emmanuel Sanders Chiefs fans were ticked because he had verbally agreed to sign with them but on the plane ride to sign the contract the agent called the Broncos and the Broncos offered him the same contract. He decided playing with Manning was much better than playing with Smith.

So again it won't matter if the Patriots keep things quiet or keep things away from fans.

 

[cdumler7]

AJ McCarron's agent figured out before FA ever started that his market wasn't going to be that great. Teams are not as high on him as he thought they would be and only saw him at best as a stop gap QB and most saw him more as backup quality. They also didn't exactly like that he challenged the NFL about his status as a FA. The NFL holds grudges and has the power to hold that against people in this business. So it should be no surprise that his market has been as bad as it has and that he ended up having to sign to a team to once again be a backup.