With the month of July now upon us, the NFL season is rapidly approaching. Still, there is a clear gap on the New England Patriots roster at edge rusher.
It’s with that roster hole in mind that Jordy McElroy of USA Today’s Patriots Wire put together four “splash” moves that New England could make. Included there was a move to trade for former first-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux of the New York Giants.
“Kayvon Thibodeaux teased an NFL breakout with 11.5 sacks in 2023, but he hasn’t been able to reach those same heights in the last two seasons. He is in the final year of his rookie contract, and the writing seems to already be on the wall for his time ending with the Giants,” McElroy wrote.
“If the Patriots were going to roll the dice on a player, it would make sense to go with the No. 5 overall pick of the 2022 NFL draft who might find more success in a different defense. K’Lavon Chaisson, another former first-round pick deemed a draft bust, turned his career around in one season with the Patriots. Thibodeaux would have a great shot at doing the same.”
Thibodeaux has clearly struggled to live up to being the No. 5 overall pick. However, he does have talent and, in the right circumstances, could also unlock that talent. He’ll need to stay healthy to do that, but for the right price, it might make sense for the Patriots to kick the tires there.
ESPN Gave the New England Patriots a Frustrating Offseason Grade
GettyNew England Patriots EVP Eliot Wolf
ESPN analyst Seth Walder recently released his full grades for NFL teams this offseason. Despite being very active in the offseason, the New England Patriots only received a “B-” grade.
Walder would break down that grade. In particular, he took off points because he feels Dre’Mont Jones wasn’t enough of an addition to fix the concerns that the Patriots do have at the edge rusher position.
“One area that still looks a bit weak is edge rusher. New England lost K’Lavon Chaisson in free agency after a solid season and replaced him with Jones. Putting aside that Chaisson signed with the Commanders for a cheaper contract than Jones was signed to, I would rather have held on to Chaisson, as Jones recorded a pass rush win rate at edge in just the 22nd percentile,” Walder wrote.
The Patriots did also try to address the edge rusher spot in the NFL Draft, selecting Gabe Jacas in the second round. However, he’s yet to sign, in what has become a major contract concern for the team.
Patriots Head Coach Mike Vrabel on the Need at Edge Rusher
GettyNew England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel
Despite those widely held concerns that the Patriots need help at edge rusher, head coach Mike Vrabel doesn’t necessarily agree. Instead, he recently insisted that he’s happy with where the team currently stands at the position.
“No… that’s a good group. I’m excited about adding Dre [Jones], the development of [Elijah] Ponder and [Bradyn] Swinson, added [Jesse] Luketa and some young guys,” Vrabel said.
Without a doubt, there is room for the position to have some more natural growth. Be a little healthier as a group and develop as a team, and then that unit could be in a good position.
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