Tag: Mike Onwenu

4 Patriots players made ESPN’s top-50 pending free agents list

The Patriots have some key contracts coming due in the offseason, and four of those made ESPN’s top-50 free agents list

The New England Patriots have multiple key free agents with pending contracts on both sides of the ball. So before they start looking outwards, they’ll have to pull up a mirror and make decisions on players on their own roster first.

Who stays and who goes in New England?

That will be one of the biggest questions facing the team in March. One has to wonder how the new regime will impact the decision-making as well with Bill Belichick no longer serving as the de facto general manager.

The Patriots are clearly heading into a rebuilding season, and they will have to make some tough decisions to ensure their ability to address the most problematic areas on the roster.

ESPN’s Matt Bowen put together a top-50 ranking of NFL players on pending free agent contracts, and there were four Patriots players on the list.

Here’s where those players ranked:

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.

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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?

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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.

Studs and duds from Patriots’ 6-0 loss to Chargers

Who were the studs and duds from the Patriots’ Week 13 shutout loss?

There was no miracle offensive resurgence with Bailey Zappe starting at quarterback for the New England Patriots in Sunday’s shutout loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

But that doesn’t mean it was all bad.

There were big plays and opportunities left on the field by the offense in the second half that ultimately led to drive killers.

It’s hard not to feel bad for the Patriots defense considering the incredible effort the unit puts in every week. But none if it matters if the offense can’t score points. Even a perfect performance by the defense wouldn’t have been enough for the Patriots to beat the Chargers.

Let’s take a look at the studs and duds from the game.

Ranking 8 most disappointing players for Patriots in 2023

Who are the eight most disappointing Patriots players so far in 2023?

An all-around disappointing season for the New England Patriots has led to an endless blame game from outsiders. Who is most responsible for the Patriots’ current predicament—the coaches, quarterback, receivers or offensive line?

The easy answer is there’s no singular individual responsible for the team imploding and falling to 2-8 on the season. It takes a village to create the colossal failure the Patriots have become this year.

With that said, there are certain players that have disappointed more than others. These are the players that were expected to play major roles in helping the Patriots turn things around from last season.

Yet, those expectations have only led to further disappointment for a franchise that’s unrecognizable from the perennial contender that reigned during the Tom Brady era.

Here are the eight most disappointing players for the Patriots this season:

10 highest-graded players for Patriots offense vs Dolphins, per PFF

PFF’s top-10 offensive players for the Patriots in loss to the Dolphins

It was back to reality for the New England Patriots’ sputtering offense in their Week 8 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

The pass protection up front was iffy at best, the run game never got going, receivers couldn’t get open and quarterback Mac Jones turned the ball over.

Rinse, wash and repeat.

No offensive player outside of tight end Pharaoh Brown was given over a 70.0 grade by Pro Football Focus. It didn’t help matters that two of the team’s top receivers, DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne, both went down with injuries.

Bourne, who led the team in receptions, yards and touchdowns, will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL, while Parker is in concussion protocol. Those injuries create even bigger questions for the Patriots moving forward this season.

Let’s take a look at the top-10 highest-graded offensive players for New England, per PFF, in the loss to the Dolphins.

Stock up, stock down for 12 Patriots players heading into Week 8

Who’s stock is up, and who’s stock is down in New England?

The 2023 season hasn’t gone as expected for the New England Patriots.

Those that expected the team to be competitive in the AFC East are likely surprised to see them sitting at 2-5 with little hope of competing for a playoff spot.

But even the team’s biggest skeptics didn’t expect to see them sink to the bottom of the division with talks of them being in line for a top-five pick in the 2024 NFL draft. There’s obviously the possibility of things changing with the Patriots coming off a huge upset win over the Buffalo Bills.

If they can somehow beat the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, the schedule will lighten significantly, and they’ll have a real chance to start racking up wins. It’s a long-shot chance that’s heavily dependent on the players’ ability to elevate their game down the stretch.

Let’s take a look at the stock report for 12 Patriots players ahead of their Week 8 clash with the Dolphins. Who’s up and who’s down in New England?

7 burning questions heading into Patriots’ Week 8 matchup vs Dolphins

Can the Patriots knock off the Dolphins? Here are seven burning questions for Sunday’s much-anticipated AFC East divisional tilt.

The New England Patriots have a chance to turn their season around in Sunday’s head-to-head meeting with the Miami Dolphins. A victory would put them at 3-5 with a stretch of winnable games coming up on the schedule.

But they’ll be running into a Dolphins team that has had their number in recent years. It also doesn’t help that Miami is coming off a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, which means they’ll be plenty motivated to send the Patriots packing with a loss.

This isn’t the same Patriots team that showed up in the blowout losses to the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints. New offensive wrinkles has quarterback Mac Jones finally hitting his stride, and the defense has continued to be competitive, despite numerous injuries.

Here are seven burning questions facing the team in their Week 8 road trip to South Beach: