Tag: Hunter Henry

18 pending free agents for Patriots heading into offseason

18 pending Patriots free agents heading into the offseason

The New England Patriots head into an offseason of uncertainty with a slew of pending free agents.

Of course, the first order of business is making a decision on whether Bill Belichick stays, goes or has his powers stripped as the de facto general manager for the team.

Then the Patriots can begin to attack the who stays and who goes questions.

Whoever takes over the personnel decisions will have a tough run right out of the gates with key free agents likely requiring big contracts to keep employed. Players like offensive guard/swing tackle Mike Onwenu and safety Kyle Dugger won’t be returning for cheap.

And that’s only scratching the surface. Here are 18 pending free agents for the Patriots heading into the offseason:

Podcast: Predicting which Patriots top free agents stay and go in 2024

Who’s staying and who’s leaving the Patriots at the end of the season?

When it comes to the New England Patriots, there has been so much talk surrounding the 2024 NFL draft that free agency is seemingly being overshadowed.

Not only will the Patriots enter free agency as one of the team’s with the most cap space, but they’ll also have one of the most extensive pending free agent lists in the NFL. Key players, such as Kyle Dugger, Hunter Henry, Kendrick Bourne, Trent Brown, Mike Onwenu and Ezekiel Elliott might all be playing elsewhere in 2024.

Ryan O’Leary and I discuss the possibilities, as well as predict if these players stay and go, in this week’s episode of the Patriots Wire Podcast.

Follow the Patriots Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

We want to hear from you. Please let us know your thoughts and opinions on the topics covered in this week’s show. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Who should the Patriots bring back in 2024? What players should they let go? And what Patriots-related storyline are you most interested in heading into the offseason?

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

12 key contributors could be in final days with Patriots

These 12 players could be playing football elsewhere in 2024

The last week of the regular season means some New England Patriots players could be in their final days with the team.

Many are pending free agents that aren’t likely to be brought back, while others could be let go for other reasons. The Patriots have players on both ends of the spectrum.

They won’t be able to re-sign everyone, even with the lucrative salary cap expectations for the team in 2024. There’s also the possibility of the team hiring a new regime altogether, if they ultimately make the decision to fire coach Bill Belichick.

Serious changes could be on the horizon for the Patriots, and here are 12 players that could be caught up in it at the end of the season:

Predicting Patriots 2024 free agent contracts and destinations

Where will the Patriots’ pending 2024 free agents land and for what kind of contracts?

As the season wraps up, regardless of who is in charge, pending unrestricted free agents will be trying to put as much good tape out there as possible.

They’ll be looking to earn as much money as possible on their future deal, along with setting themselves up with the best possible fit for them to continue producing.

The Patriots are expected to have around $100 million in cap space to spend in 2024, and they will likely want to add some outside talent to help fix one of the league’s worst offensive rosters.

Given their age and position, I have assumed Matthew Slater and Cody Davis will both retire. It’s also worth noting the Patriots will need to actually spend real dollars at the start of a new three-year period, per league rules. They can spend money now, in 2025 or 2026. But they need to spend real cap dollars to be compliant.

Here are each of the Patriots’ unrestricted free agents, and where I think they’ll land, as well as for how much.

Patriots Week 17 inactives: Trent Brown OUT vs Bills

Patriots offensive tackle Trent Brown is inactive for Sunday’s game against the Bills

The New England Patriots have officially ruled out offensive tackle Trent Brown for Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills.

Brown has dealt with a multitude of injuries and an illness leading up to the game. However, there was hope that he would be able to go considering he was removed from the injury report on Friday.

It’s another odd situation in a season full of many for Brown, who is set to hit free agency in 2024.

The Patriots will also be missing safety Jabrill Peppers and tight end Hunter Henry for the Week 17 matchup. On Saturday, the team tried to make up for those absences by signing safety Joshuah Bledsoe to the main roster, while also elevating offensive lineman Andrew Stueber and tight end Matt Sokol from the practice squad.

Here’s the list of inactives for both teams on New Year’s Eve:

The Patriots could play spoiler for a second consecutive week if they’re able to upset a Bills team still trying to solidify a playoff spot.

Buffalo has been red-hot as of late with wins over the Los Angeles Chargers, Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs, while the Patriots are coming off a huge upset win over the Denver Broncos.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Best Fantasy Football waiver wire pickups for Week 17

Here are some waiver wire options for fantasy this week.

After the 16th full slate of regular season action, every fantasy league is at least in their playoffs, with some in their championships.

If you had a tough injury in Week 16, or you just didn’t get the production from one of your players that you expected, we’ll scan the waiver wire. For potential pickups, we’ll consider players who are available in at least 50% of ESPN fantasy leagues.

Let’s take a look at some of the potential waiver wire pickups that could help your teams heading into Week 17 of the NFL campaign.

Patriots downgrade two key offensive players as out vs Broncos

The Patriots offense has been dealt two more blows ahead of Sunday’s Christmas Eve game against the Broncos.

The New England Patriots announced on Saturday that tight end Hunter Henry and offensive tackle Conor McDermott have both been downgraded as out for Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos.

Those are two tough blows to a Patriots offense that is already struggling.

Henry has turned into quarterback Bailey Zappe’s most reliable receiving target, while McDermott stepped in periodically to spell Trent Brown, who has been playing through multiple injuries.

Tight ends Mike Gesicki and Pharaoh Brown will see an uptick in work with Henry out against the Broncos. Meanwhile, the team will have to lean more on Vederian Lowe and Tyrone Wheatley Jr. to help solidify the offensive tackle position.

The ability to play musical chairs on the fly has been a common theme for this oft-injured Patriots team. They’ll need to do it again successfully, if they have any hopes of pulling off a major upset at Mile High.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em: Week 16

Check out these starts and sits for fantasy football in Week 16.

The fantasy football playoffs are officially underway as just two more weeks remain in the season for the majority of leagues. Now, it’s time to look at some start/sit decisions for Week 16.

Doing start/sit articles can be a little challenging. The players featured on the list below should not be taken as “must starts” or “must sits.” Instead, these are more suggestions on what we believe managers should do with fringe players heading into the weekend. The choice is ultimately up to the manager.

Just because a player is listed as a “start” doesn’t mean he should be put in the lineup over the secure, bona fide studs. Vice versa for the “sits.” If there’s no better option on the waiver wire or the bench, a manager shouldn’t automatically sit the player. That’s why these can be tricky waters to navigate.

Feel free to ask any specific start/sit questions via X, formerly Twitter, (@KevinHickey11), or check out our start/bench list for Week 16:

Best Fantasy Football waiver wire pickups for Week 16

Here are some waiver wire options for fantasy this week.

After the 15th full slate of regular season action, nearly every fantasy football league should be in their playoffs.

If you had a tough injury in Week 15, or you just didn’t get the production from one of your players that you expected, we’ll scan the waiver wire. For potential pickups, we’ll consider players who are available in at least 50% of ESPN fantasy leagues.

Let’s take a look at some of the potential waiver wire pickups that could help your teams heading into Week 16 of the NFL campaign.

3 standout stars in Patriots’ 27-17 loss to Chiefs

Who were the three stars for the Patriots in Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs?

The New England Patriots fell to 3-11 at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs, but for a second straight week, their offense looked competent.

The issue is they lack the talent across the board on offense, and they are without key stars on defense due to injuries. But they did manage to hang in there with the defending Super Bowl champions in a 27-17 loss.

Whether Bill O’Brien has turned a corner with his play-calling, or if the change at quarterback sparked players to buy in on offense, there seems to be better execution overall. It also helps when the quarterback isn’t making terrible decisions every play and running the offense as designed.

Regardless, this week had some bright spots, despite the loss. Here are the  three stars of the game for the Patriots: