With training camp looming, the Patriots are about to get a hard look at what they have - and what they still need. The biggest concern remains the pass rush, a spot that still looks thin even after the addition of Dre'Mont Jones.
There are a few reasons for that. K'Lavon Chaisson is gone, Harold Landry is still working back from offseason surgery, and rookie Gabe Jacas remains unsigned heading into mid-July. Put that together, and it’s easy to see why Eliot Wolf should be exploring ways to strengthen the defensive line.
That need matters even more because the pass rush was already part of the problem during last year’s playoffs and Super Bowl run. And based on the way the roster has been handled over the past few months, it’s fair to say New England hasn’t done much to fix it.
That’s where Cardinals edge rusher Josh Sweat comes in.
Sweat has made it clear he wants out of Arizona, and the market around the league suggests he could be available at a price the Patriots should seriously consider. In fact, the latest trade ideas floating around point to a deal that would send him elsewhere for nothing more than a future third-round pick.
For a player who just posted a 12-sack season, that’s a bargain. It’s the kind of move that could immediately raise the ceiling of New England’s defense, and one that should have the Patriots picking up the phone without much hesitation.
Sweat may not sit in the top tier of pass rushers alongside names like Myles Garrett or Maxx Crosby, but that doesn’t make him any less appealing for a team that needs help off the edge. If New England isn’t sold on the remaining free-agent options - especially Joey Bosa and Jadeveon Clowney - then a trade may be the cleanest path to adding another difference-maker.
Mike Vrabel has said he likes the group the Patriots have and suggested they may be getting overlooked. Maybe so. But after reaching the Super Bowl, standing pat would be a risky way to protect that window.
A move for Sweat would send a different message. It would show the Patriots are serious about pushing forward, the same way they did when they acquired A.J. Brown.
If Sweat becomes available at that projected price, New England should be in the mix. And it’s hard to imagine Patriots fans complaining if that deal gets done.
In Other News...
Mac Jones Just Confirmed Patriots Fans Were Right About 2022 Chaos
Mac Jones has added a new layer to the story of how the Patriots offense unraveled after Josh McDaniels left following his rookie season. What looked from the outside like a simple coordinator change quickly turned into a much messier setup, with Bill Belichick stepping into the offensive mix alongside Matt Patricia and the whole operation losing the clarity a young quarterback needs.
The result was confusion that bled onto the field and helped push the offense into a spiral that led to more coaching changes down the line. For Patriots fans who lived through that stretch, Jones account does not so much rewrite the season as confirm how unstable it felt, and it helps explain why the organization kept searching for a fix long after the damage was done. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Fans Wont Like Whos Being Linked To Super Bowl Prep
Seattle fans are still enjoying the afterglow of Super Bowl LX, but the conversation around how Seattle prepared for New England has taken on a strange twist. On The Dan Patrick Show, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said the team had help from someone with a conflict of interest during its buildup to the title game, a remark that immediately sent speculation in a few directions.
Macdonald did move to cool off one of the biggest theories, saying the adviser was not Bill Belichick, even as the mystery around the role lingered. For Patriots followers, it is another frustrating footnote to a game Seattle won with Kenneth Walker III taking MVP honors, and it adds a little more intrigue to a matchup that already left New England looking for answers. [Read more 🡒]