Welcome back, Trent Brown.
The Patriots will be trading for their former left tackle, after agreeing to send the Raiders a 2022 fifth-round pick, in exchange for Brown and a '22 seventh-round pick.
Brown, according to sources, has agreed to rework his deal. He could now make $11 million for one year, and then become a free agent again, one year early. How the contract is structured is unknown at this time.
This trade has a lot of moving pieces, and it could lead to many other dominoes to fall within the team. But it leads to a lot of questions.
Starting with ... does Brown know his former offensive line coach, Dante Scarnecchia, is retired, considering he posted this?
This is not insignificant ... but we'll get to that in a second.
I have a lot of questions and consternation about this trade, which I aired to a trusted source. He didn't necessarily disagree but then he said this ...
"Wait to judge ..."
That tells me a couple of things — and we'll get into all the possibilities in a separate column — but this could be a pre-emptive move to another move, possibly connected to quarterback trade (Jimmy Garoppolo?) or a trade for another player.
Not to get all Zolak & Bertrand on you — and I adore Zo, but every trade deadline and offseason he thinks the Patriots are going to make an Earth-shattering move ... and they just might this year — but something very well could be in the works.
Now, back to Brown.
• Let's start with the Scarnecchia thing.
• Where is he going to play?
Brown played left tackle here out of necessity — and he won the job early in camp — in 2018, but he's probably a better right tackle.
- If he plays left tackle, that kicks Isaiah Wynn to left guard to replace Joe Thuney, or to right tackle.
- If Brown plays right tackle, that means Marcus Cannon is expendable, saving about $4 million. Wynn stays at LT, and Michael Onwenu plays LG.
In my mind, I think the optimal lineup is Brown, Owenu, David Andrews, Shaq Mason and Cannon/Justin Herron. That's one of the best run-blocking lines I've ever seen. I would trade Wynn, who still has the fifth-year option at play. He doesn't fit physically with a physical line. If you wanted to get nuts, put Nate Solder, who is likely to be released by the Giants, at either tackle to bookend Brown. Now that's a kick-ass run-blocking line.
I don't think Brown says anything about the quarterback, or means Cam Newton is finished here. You can make both arguments. Brown is a very good pass blocker due to his size, but he's also a punishing power run blocker. Brown would be good for a pass-heavy scheme, and also if the Patriots were loading up to punish people with a multi-pronged rushing attack behind a power-running QB like Newton.
• The Patriots wasted $15 million last season ...
... if they don't tag and trade Joe Thuney, which could still happen by the 4 p.m. window (and they could ink a contract extension, which the Patriots have been known to do at the last minute).
I want to say I think something like that is coming, but it's just a gut feeling. I just can't see Belichick tagging Thuney last year for $15 million last year, only to see him walk this year and get no compensatory picks because the Patriots will sign a big free agent (Chargers TE Hunter Henry and Lions WR Kenny Golladay were informed they will not be tagged) to offset Thuney.
I just can't see Belichick being that careless (on top of the dead money Belichick just gave Tom Brady in his final deal). There has to be a reason he tagged Thuney last year.
I smell a sign and trade as part of a QB deal.
• The 2018 Patriots draft was horrendous.
Unless Wynn sticks at LT, this now cements the 2018 Patriots draft as one of the worst I have ever seen. Wynn is fine ... but not as a guard at No. 23. He better be a Hall of Fame game at 23. Logan Mankins went 32nd.
Wynn would now be an injury-ravaged guard, and Sony Michel, a backup running back as their first-round selections.
You put the '17 and '18 drafts together and you very clearly see why the Patriots were 7-9 last season and have so many holes to fill in this offseason.
