6 veteran possibilities for Patriots as second phase of free agency begins Tuesday

Starting Tuesday, expect free agency to spike a bit -- that’s the first day signings don't count against the NFL's compensatory draft pick formula for the following year. And while most of the big-ticket free agents are off the market, there are a handful of players who have been connected with the Patriots (as well as some others) who could still address some of the lingering needs New England might have at this point in the offseason. Here are six possibilities:

OFFENSE

WR Mike Wallace: A long time ago, Wallace and the Patriots flirted a bit, and Bill Belichick has always said nice things about the pass catcher. Wallace, who will be 33 in August, isn’t nearly the game-breaker he used to be, but the veteran, who is 6-foot and 200 pounds, still had 124 catches in 2016 and 2017 (he was limited to just two games last year with a fractured fibula). If the two sides could work out an incentive-based contract that would reward him for saying healthy (he played in 142 of a possible 144 games before last season), he could bring a nice layer of depth to a New England receiving corps that could still use another pair of hands.

WR Michael Crabtree: This 6-foot-1, 215-pounder caught at least 50 passes a year for the last five years, including 54 receptions for 607 yards and three touchdowns last season for the Ravens. The 31-year-old Crabtree, who has played with three different teams in his 10 years in the NFL, could deliver a level of feistiness to the New England receiving room.