Amid the current pandemic, the NFL has changed some of the guidelines surrounding training camp. In the past, teams were required to report to training camp 15 days before their preseason opener.
This season however, 28 teams now must report July 28, which is 47 or 48 days before the opening week of the regular season. Teams playing Sunday, September 13, are required to report to camp 47 days before their opener, while teams scheduled to play Monday, September 14, are required to report 48 days beforehand. With almost every team set to report to camp at the end of July – including the Patriots – many hot ticket free agents still remain on the market and could possibly find themselves at 1 Patriot Place by August.
And with NFL facilities beginning to reopen, the Patriots might be able to bring in these players for workouts or physicals, a piece that has been missing during this free agency process. Keep in mind that these are high-budget options, and that the Patriots would have to tweak their salary cap space to add these veterans.
DL Damon “Snacks” Harrison
Harrison is a mammoth of a human. Standing at 6 foot 3 inches, and weighing in at 350 pounds, Harrison is the ultimate nose guard. For comparison, Vince Wilfork was an inch shorter, and weighed 25 pounds less. Harrison spent four years with the Jets after going undrafted in 2012. He signed with the Giants before the 2016 season and would finish as an All-Pro that season. After two and a half seasons with the Giants, Harrison was shipped to the Lions where he played under former Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. Unfortunately for Harrison, the Patriots defensive line is already big – both in terms of depth at the position and physical size. Beau Allen, Adam Butler, and Byron Cowart currently sit on the depth chart for the nose tackle spot. Harrison is 31-years old.