Before you know it, Noon Monday and the start of the NFL tampering period will be here, and the biggest-name free agents will be coming off the board quickly.
Today, we could get a resolution on A.J. Brown's future, although it could drag all the way to Noon on Monday as the Eagles square off with teams, including the Patriots. I do believe the Patriots have at least some interest in Brown. I'm not sure it's at a first-round pick level. I think Eagles GM Howie Roseman is driving a hard bargain and trying to create a bidding situation, and I think the Patriots are calling his bluff. I think the Patriots are right to hold the line on draft pick compensation, if not passing on Brown altogether (more on that in a minute).
But once we get to the tampering period, what should the Patriots' approach be? What will it be? Let's dig into it with our Patriots' depth chart/needs as a guide.
ONE The No. 1 thing the Patriots must identify is what kind of offense they want to be? And I'm not talking about changing schemes. I'm talking about what they want the idenity to be a year from now, when the Patriots are almost fully formed with the 2025 rookies in their third season, and Drake Maye in his third season in Josh McDaniels' scheme. What's the vision?
They've parted with two stopgap veterans who helped them hit the ground running in Stefon Diggs and Garrett Bradbury. That means they are sticking to their plan, and the clock is ticking on others like Morgan Moses, Robert Spillane, Harold Landry, Hunter Henry and Mack Hollins. They are short-timers on both sides of the ball.
What was the big problem with this offense when it came to the postseason, when they faced tougher defenses? You could just say the offensive line, but that's not very specific. I would suggest that this offense was not tough or physical enough, which obviously starts with the offensive line. TWO They must find a way to get