After that manic Monday, Tuesday was a slow day for the Patriots. Now is a good time to reset the two positions that we can all agree need help but didn't get on day one of the NFL's legal tampering period: left tackle and wide receiver.
The former is pretty simple. The options are slim and unappetizing. Cam Robinson, who played for new offensive line coach Doug Marrone when he was the boss in Jacksonville, remains on the market. Why?
For starters, Robinson had a foot issue that impacted his performance last season, both in Jacksonville and Minnesota (after the trade). He played through the difficulties, logging nearly 1,000 snaps on the quarterback's blind side. Still, in talking to several front office folks, Robinson wasn't moving as well as he is capable of, especially late in the year. That showed up down the stretch for the Vikings and culminated when he allowed 11 pressures in the playoff loss to the Rams.
"Go look at the tape of his first game in Minnesota," said one NFL exec. "You'd pay that guy. Not big money, and for a year, but that would be an upgrade to what they have there (in NE)."
That game was a damn impressive showing. Robinson had been acquired just days earlier to fill the enormous shoes of the injured Christian Darrisaw, and Vikes coach Kevin O'Connell gave him a game ball for that effort.
The other obvious option is Tyron Smith. If you sign up for that, know that it would be a 1980 USA hockey team-like miracle that Smith plays double-digit games.
2024: 10 games for the Jets
2023: 13 games
2022: 4 games
2021: 11 games
2020: 2 games
2016-19: 13 games in each season
Smith will turn 35 in December and dealt with knee, ankle, back, and neck issues in his lone season with Gang Green. Yet he still proved capable of dialing up the way back machine, blanking Will Anderson in a Week 9 game against the Texans. And that is where Smith's strength still lies. He's still above average in pass pro, using his veteran know-how to overcome a slowing lower half.
"They'd need a viable backup plan, but if the coaching staff could manage him, there's a chance it (a signing) could pay off in the short term," texted an AFC pro personnel assistant.
I've asked around about one other name: Mekhi Becton. Before his first injury, the tape he put together during his rookie year in New York was eye-popping. But that was never seen again at left tackle, and it took a move to right guard in Philadelphia this past season to resurrect his career. Based on the Eagles trading for guard Kenyon Green, Becton's time is done in Philly, but among the handful of folks I spoke with, no one felt that was a safe bet to move back to left tackle. He even joked that he'd prefer guard because "it's easier."
As for wide receivers, there is no easy way out. Mack Hollins is best suited as a #4, and maybe if Josh McDaniels gets him to find that 2022 form, let's call him a #3. The Pats have a few of those 3/4 types (Bourne, Boutte, Douglas). They need better, even if you believe they'll be growth in that uninspiring room.
In the time it took my typing fingers to hammer out this piece, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and DeAndre Hopkins signed elsewhere (Miami and Baltimore, respectively). That leaves Cooper Kupp as the most intriguing name, although he hasn't yet been released. The Rams said Wednesday would be the day the veteran wideout was sent packing, assuming no trade was worked out. That will likely happen because no team seems interested in assuming his contract.
Kupp is far removed from being the triple-crown winner who helped LA win a Super Bowl. But he hasn't played more than a dozen games in a season since then and turns 32 in June. The decline is real, and the Rams slowly phased him out of the offense during the second half of this past year.
However, Kupp's still capable. Heck, we saw him do a number on the Pats several months ago. But he says he wants to continue "competing for championships," and my question would be, does he think that can happen here and soon? Kupp is looking at living year-to-year contractually, and even with the oodles of cash the Pats still have available, signing him to any real guarantees beyond 2025-26 seems foolhardy. So, tack on a few million more for the one year and entrust that his leadership and professionalism, combined with the recently acquired Hollins, will make those around them better by osmosis. If the young guys don't get it, they shouldn't be part of the plan going forward.
Elsewhere, the organization could start mining in the Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen, Amari Cooper, and Tyler Lockett as well. They all come with various warts. Diggs blew out his ACL in October and is never happy, complaining about targets even when he was in the top 3 league-wide with Josh Allen. Now, at 31, is that something you want to introduce to a rebuilding team? Don't get me wrong; he has been an elite route runner and would be an upgrade, but for what?
A scout told me Allen is "slower than he's ever been. " He also wants to return to the West Coast if possible. Allen managed a handful of solid games in Chicago with its rookie quarterback, Caleb Williams. This feels like a hard pass unless Pat's scouts see something others do not.
Cooper is also 31, and the Bills took a big swing, acquiring him for a third-round at the trade deadline. That did not pay off. Cooper was actually losing snaps to Hollins late in the year and in the playoffs. What in the wide world of sports happened to him? "He didn't look like the same guy even before the trade, and he's never been a 'tough' player," said an assistant coach familiar with Cooper. Assistant QB coach Ashton Grant overlapped with the WR in Cleveland, and Vrabel was also there. They would know about the character and drive of the player.
Lockett is, at best, a third option, and while one scout told me, "He still has some rocket fuel in those wheels," he's not the same guy either. Very few receivers can sidestep or outrun Father Time. At 32, it has gained significantly on Lockett (pretty quiet when we saw the Seahawks in September). That said, he is considered one of the best teammates and, like Kupp, could be beneficial in that room.
There are also trade options.
Brandon Aiyuk's name has been out there, and while GM John Lynch didn't shoot down a possible move there, it's entirely possible this is a message to the young man — who never wanted to leave San Francisco in the first place — to get his head and body right. Aiyuk also suffered an ACL tear in late October, so as with Diggs, you're likely not getting the same player prior to the injury until 2026-27. He'd also have to show the Pats something he didn't last year - love. Yes, Aiyuk has less power because he signed an extension, but he could pout and piss and moan and make such a move not worth the hassle.
Tee Higgins remains the other trade possibility, but the Bengals keep beating that re-sign-him drum. Vrabel/Wolf/Cowden should keep making that phone call, but until Cincy moves off its stance or softens, they may be just wasting time.
All in all, the team's position is not enviable, as the offense still needs to be "weaponized." But the brass was never foolish enough to think they'd cure all that ails them in one fell swoop, and though patience is hard to find, I'd suggest you turn over the couch cushions to locate some.
