Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Hunter Henry, Yay or Nay? Jakobi Meyers, Mike McGlinchey on Free Agent Friday

Episode Date: February 25, 2023

While most eyes of New England Patriots Nation continue to focus on the 2023 NFL Draft, the start of free agency is the first step in rebuilding the roster. Is tight end Hunter Henry on the chopping block? Will the Patriots retain both Jakobi Meyers and Jonathan Jones? Will they pry offensive lineman Mike McGlinchey from the west coast? Mike welcomes Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy of E2G Sports to discuss these topics and more on Free Agent Friday.Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-patriots-daily-podcast-on-the-new-england/id1140512627Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFmwg3WbfxAU3tR5Ve?si=k196wH-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-patriotsAnd follow host Mike D’Abate on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans.On Twitter: @mdabateNFLSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.Ultimate Football GMTo download the game just visit Ultimate-GM.com or look it up on the app stores. Our listeners get a 100% free boost to their franchise when using the promo LOCKEDON (ALL CAPS) in the game store.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Place your first FIVE DOLLAR bet to get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in Free Bets – win or lose! Visit Fanduel.com/LockedOn today to get startedFANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG(CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat(CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

will Hunter Henry be catching passes for another team in 2023? In the words of Kevin McAllister of Home Alone, I don't think so. Stick around. You're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. Thank you once again for making Lockdown Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage

and also your first listen every day. Remember, Lockdown Patriots, free and available on all platforms, including YouTube, so smash that subscribe button, download, subscribe to, follow Lockdown Patriots wherever you get your podcasts. I am your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated. So reach out to me and let me know what's on your mind on the Bird app at MDABATENFL.

And while you're out there showing some love to the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Pats fans, it is the weekend, and we're bringing back a fan favorite segment here on Locked On Patriots. It's Friday when we're recording this, so we flushed the format a little bit to reinstate Free Agent Friday. And until NFL Free Agency has run its course, probably about a week or so after the start of the new league year on March 15th,

we're going to be asking for your free agent wish list, very similar to how you submit the mock drafts. So be sure to get those in. Drop me a line at MDATENFL. Send them to the Locked On Patriots Twitter account at LO underscore Patriots, or you can send it in to the counter Murphy Fisto himself, who will be here in just a moment to help me break down free agency, the legendary Thomas Murphy of E2G Sports.

And to get things kicked off, to reinstate Free Agent Friday here on Locked On Patriots, Murph is going to come by and we're going to share our free agent wish list. We're going to start with the free agents internally that we believe On Patriots. Murph is going to come by and we're going to share our free agent wish lists. We're going to start with the free agents internally that we believe the Patriots must sign to make an impact in 2023. We're also going to go a little external shopping

and we're going to take a look at those free agents that are going to be set to hit the open market and which ones might look good in Patriot blue or which ones might look good in those throwback Patriot reds.

We keep wanting to see those folks. We love them. I know you do too. And we definitely want to see that. Which players are going to help the New England Patriots? Murph and I have that for you in just a moment. But first, you heard me mention Hunter Henry in the open today. And free agency is about more than just pursuing

external free agents or even maintaining your free agents that you have soon to be free agents on the list of your own team. It's about creating and making some free agency of your own. And the Patriots do have plenty of cut candidates on this roster, players that are making big time money that might allow them a little more financial freedom if they were to cut that contract loose and right now the flavor of the month is avert your ears Claire Hunter Henry right now yes absolutely our midweek monarch is not happy

about this that's right the countess is displeased so what to do don't worry countess we're gonna smooth everything out here and I'm gonna explain hunter henry is not a good cut candidate for the new england patriots but the prognosticators at pro football focus believe this in their forecast bottom line this is coming from a place where if the team were to cut henry loose anytime during 2023 they'll automatically save in excess of 1010 million against the salary cap. That's going to put them in a pretty good financial position, especially if they do it before free agency really starts and the Patriots want to keep pumping money out in order to be able to bring players back in. Now, as much as Henry is experiencing a little bit of a statistical dip at the end of 2022, pro football focus still

has reverence for the player. And they still advise that he could have a place in Foxborough because of the return of Bill O'Brien. And this is going to get into the heart of my argument in just a second, folks. I believe that Bill O'Brien's collaboration with Hunter Henry and also John O'Smith is going to resurrect this tight endage tandem. So for anyone worried about that, that to me is where it comes in. And Pro Football Focus says this right off the bat, quote, various personnel groupings under Bill O'Brien will help to get an anemic Matt Patricia-led offense. I kind of like the way that sounds, anemic Matt Patricia-led offense. That's pretty good. And anyway, pro football focus thinks they're going to get them back on track by doing that.

And there's arguments to that point. You'll love to have that extra $10 million, but you also want the resources that are going to help resurrect an offense that placed 26th in the NFL last year. That's not going to get it done. You're not going to make the playoffs with a 26th ranked offense. And that's why the Patriots were on the outside looking in, a big part of that. Now, Henry is an easy cut on paper. You look at the eye tests and you look at all of the, in my opinion, unnecessary criticism he gets on social media.

He's working through the second year of a three-year contract that he signed in the off season of 2021. 37 and a half million dollars not light money for a player of Hunter Henry's caliber but you look at the return on investment and all of a sudden you're looking at maybe a little bit of a difficulty in terms of justifying that type of money 509 yards 41 receptions but pff's analytical scores were far less kind to him and this is why PFF put him on the trading block or the cutting block, prototypically folks, not for real, but just their prognostication. Henry becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2024 and the Patriots would have to eat five5 million of his salary upon his departure.

So you look at the PFF scores of 61.4 in the receiving game and 48.3 in the blocking game, and their argument starts to take shape a little bit. And I understand the cost. I understand fans looking at the production from Hunter Henry and from Jonu Smith and thinking that the Patriots are better off without him. I'll play devil's advocate for a moment because when Henry and Smith both signed with this team, everyone thought here's the rebirth of the two tight end sets that we loved seeing back in the old Bob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez days. I fell victim to it. I

thought it would be more utilized. I did have the hindsight or the foresight, I should say, to know that these two players were not cookie cutter, insert Rob, insert Aaron. Hunter and Gianna were going to be the same type players. They're not, and they never will be. But the same type of attitude from having two tight ends that could hurt you in a number of different ways, that did not happen that way. It just, for whatever reason, it did not happen. My reasoning behind this is that Josh McDaniels in his first year in 2021 had a rookie quarterback in Mac Jones and two tight ends that were new and getting acclimated into what really is a difficult system. Josh said it himself a lot in 2021 when we would ask him

questions in the media about why these guys were not getting acclimated to the offense that quickly, especially John O'Smith because he really struggled in his first year. Hunter's first year in New England was actually much better than his second, and I'll get to that in a second too, but you look at those types of situations where a new player is trying to get acclimated it's difficult so naturally Josh is going to be a little bit more conservative Hunter took to the route running he took to his role a little bit easier and that's why he was targeted a little bit more from Mac Jonu not so much Henry's definitely been the more strategic or the more statistically productive of the two

sides. His first year, very good year, 603 yards, 50 catches, nine touchdowns. Those numbers, as I said before, did dip a little bit, but he's still atop the depth chart. 41 catches, 509 yards, did have two scores last year. Smith, on the other hand, has really struggled since he came through the door in New England. Only periodically phased into the passing game, used primarily as a blocker. I will give him a lot of credit. When he's been deployed as an inline blocker and he's done a great job in terms of being able to block both of the run and for the pass, he's been very good, but total only 55 catches, 539 yards, and just one touchdown. That's over 30 games in both seasons. Not going to cut it for the type of money that these guys are making. And I say that both for Henry and for Smith, even though Smith's numbers definitely have

been a major disappointment. Once again, they're not a like-for-like replacement duo for Gronkowski and Hernandez. But here's why i think it's wrong to put hunter henry on the chopping block and here's why i think it's wrong to put jonah smith on the dropping of the chopping block as well i'm going to understand i'm going to explain exactly why i feel that way because i think this could be a big year for both of them bill o'brien loves to scheme his tight ends open that really should unlock unlock potential of both Henry and Smith in this offense. Typically, when you look at a Bill O'Brien run offense, he prefers the schemes that create

space, create mismatches for his bigger pass catchers. They don't get much bigger than Hunter Henry and John Smith on this roster. They're sizable pass catchers, and the both of them are very good at being able to receive the football. We saw Hunter do it for years in Los Angeles. We saw John do it for a good clip in Tennessee. So they have the skill set to do it, folks. The designs that Bill O'Brien likes to put in, to me, is really where these guys can shine. It forces the defense to acknowledge the true run side and what happens there is they also have to defend the multiple receiver formations that the Patriots are going to put out there when I say run side it means the tight end is the furthest player out on one side of the

formation one tight end becomes the sizable pass catcher in a Bill O'Brien offense and the other becomes a threat to carry the ball out of the backfield. This is where the comparisons between Gronkowski and Hernandez come in, folks. A lot of people look at Gronkowski as being the sizable pass catcher and Aaron as being the guy that can come around and he can be the jet sweep option. Aaron was much better in the open field than Jonu Smith is, so Jonu is more of a threat out of the backfield. He's a very good pass catcher in the red zone. This is where Bill O'Brien can scheme these guys to get not only big time yardage that the Patriots need, but also significant yardage. Yardage in the end zone, yardage in the red zone. And that's where Jono Smith can come into play. O'Brien has had a lot of success

with this type of game planning in the past. I think he's going to remodel this offense in that fashion. And because of that, I think you're going to see Mac Jones light up a lot when these two guys are deployed in that fashion. When you have a competent offensive coordinator that knows what he's doing of getting these guys involved in the scheme of their offense on a regular basis, good things can happen. And I think good things will happen with Hunter Henry and Johnnie Smith. So that's my two cents. I do understand the arguments that are being made, not just by fans, but by some of my

colleagues in the media as well. I respect the opinion. I'm not saying they're wrong. I'm just telling you my thoughts on the process. And I believe that Hunter Henry and John O'Smith if they do assume their roles with Smith in the move tight end position and Henry continuing to take on those all-purpose duties of the Y the Patriots may finally receive a proper return on investment from the 2021 season so if John O'Smith and Hunter Henry are going to remain in-house, who else should the Patriots keep in-house for this coming season?

Well, my good friend, the Count of Murphy Fisto, is about to join me here in just a moment. The legendary Green King of Sting, Thomas Murphy of E2G Sports, joins me in a moment to share our free agent wish list on this Free Agent Friday weekend episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast. But first, today's episode brought to you by our friends over at Built. And if you're looking for a delicious treat, but you don't want all the fat and galleries,

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your Free Agent wish list takes center stage, so make sure to get those in for a chance for them to be shared on the pod next week, March 15th, the start of the league year coming up fast. And we definitely want to interact with all of you to find out what your Free Agent best wishes are

for your New England Patriots. And fear not, folks, because for those of you to find out what your free agent best wishes are for your New England Patriots. And fear not, folks, because for those of you that love Mock Draft Monday, it is not going away. It's only going to get better. Your submission is very much needed, very much appreciated. So get those in as soon as possible to be shared here on Monday's show. But today, we're going to give you our free agent wish lists, internal and external. And I say we, because as you can see, joining me today on the pod is the counter Murphy

Fisto himself, the legendary Thomas Murphy of E2GSports.com. Murph, we're on the verge of assigning you another hashtag. It's going to be locked on Murph Friday here as well, but you're getting no complaints from this side of the pond, but I'm definitely happy to have you here. And we're going to start with internal free agents, bud. Remember, you can't go shopping for new things until you fix the place up first.

So Patriots have some internal decisions to make. I think everybody out there that has listened to Locked On Patriots even once knows that my free agent wish list has already been fulfilled. Matthew Slater is back in New England for one more year. I'm loving it.

I can't get enough of it. But we all know that you can't win just with special teams prowess. You need offense, defense, and you need some special teams help as well because Matthew, as good as he is, just couldn't get it done on his own last year. So the Patriots have some internals to bring back. We all know the list. I don't want to belabor the subject. The floor is yours, my friend.

When you look at the list of internal Patriots free agents, who's on the top of your wish list? Who do the Patriots need to have back? Joe Cardona. Oh. Didn't see that coming, did you, people? No. Right, right, right. But you're right. But you know, I mean, if there's a steadier player at his position than Joe Cardona has been,

since he was brought in here to the Patriots a very, very long time ago, you can't dismiss, you know, I, once again, running back here to, to mama as a center, I know how difficult it is to long snap. I can't do it. I can't do it. Okay. This is a very particular skillset and, you know, right at the top of my list. And believe me, folks, Joe's not going anywhere. He loves it here. He loves being part of Patriot. He wants to wear a red jacket one day. He wants to be that special teams guy that gets a red jacket. And yeah, so right at the top of my list, Joe Cardona. Cardona is definitely, it's an interesting pick. It's a little bit of a surprising pick for me, but you know what? you're spot on because when

you're looking at comfort level when you're looking at getting a kicker in and we don't know whether it's going to be nick falk this year or not he's under contract but sputtered a little bit more than we've seen him sputter in the last couple of years and you have to wonder if the patriots are looking at that saying well we have to keep our options open here or do they roll it back with nick for one more year and then maybe, you know, groom the kicker of the future? Quinn Nordine's already been released. I know we talked about Jake Moody an awful lot as a possible draft pick, but it all begins with the comfort level in the long snapper.

It does. And really, you know, you talk about the punter, you talk about Jake Bailey now. In this situation, there's an awful lot when you look at Cardona and what he brings to the table, just stabilizing that special teams unit. So I think in a lot of ways, I think you're spot on and right on the money. We go special teams right off the bat here. We're going to look at defense because obviously the Patriots defense was a little bit better than the offense last year I say that tongue-in-cheek folks they were much better than the offense was last year

but you always need tweaks you always need upgrades and you can always stand to improve a little bit cornerback safety linebacker defensive line all areas where the Patriots could use an upgrade maybe some more than others who on the defensive side of the ball, Murph, is on top of your wishlist? Who do the Patriots need to have back to continue their defensive prowess coming up in the season? You know, this is another outside-the-box thinking right now, but I'm bringing back Jabril Peppers, okay?

It's somebody that, I'm sorry, Did I step on you there? Was, was that the first name on your list? It was one in one a let's put it that way. So I'm going to go with my one a at this point, but that's, that's, that's a good, that's a good choice. But the importance and the versatility of Jabril Peppers, we, we, we really don't know what's going to happen with McCourty yet. And just getting him inked up to what would be a, you know, a team friendly deal in any way, shape or form. But if I've got to grab one guy that I think can help in the most diverse kind of ways on that side of the ball when we're talking about bringing back free agents that the Patriots may walk away. He's right there.

Yeah, without questions. I talk about these types of players that you want to bring back that maybe have as much value or more value to their own team than they would on the outside market. I think you look at the type of season that Jabril Peppers had, didn't light up stat sheet, but in big play situations and in tough play situations, when you needed that enforcer, he was right there for you. And to me, I think that is as important as anything else, especially with the uncertainty surrounding McCourty. You have also Kyle Duggar starting to approach contract situations.

How does that change the dynamic with the way he's going to play on the field? I don't think it will too much. Kyle's a true pro. It's only to his benefit if he's out there playing as strong as he possibly can. But you also have to wonder about the start of the decline of a guy like Adrian Phillips, who it pains me to say that, but every year you get older, you start to miss a little bit of a step. So the Patriots need as much enforcement in that backfield as possible.

I still look at Jonathan Jones as a guy that I think I would love to have back. Now, it comes at a price because the Patriots are going to tag him, and I talked about this a little bit earlier this week on Locked On Patriots about who may be candidates for the franchise tag he'd be the ninth highest paid cornerback in the league at the patriots franchise jonathan jones 18.14 million dollars yeah that's a hefty price tag it's not insurmountable but it's up there and that's a lot of Big Boy Burger type of freaking bite that you've got to take right there. And I'm not sure if I'm willing to do that for a guy who, quite frankly, isn't a real lockdown guy. We just talked about Peppers, and Peppers is a guy that can line up on the outside, line up on the inside.

You can put him down in the box as a safety, allowing Duggar maybe to move out to free safety, which he played in college. But no, I like what you're saying here, Micah. If you can do it and you don't have to franchise him and you can figure out the salary structure through bonus, yeah, without a doubt, he's got to be at the top of anybody's list and and i'm glad i didn't step on you with that one because you you alliterated it perfectly thank you i appreciate that tip the cap on that one my friend i definitely always always appreciate your wisdom and counsel and your compliments folks that's why i keep him coming back every week now again i'm kidding folks he's a fan favorite for a reason that's why we keep him coming back but again you guys

someone like jones didn't illuminate the stat sheet 69 total tackles four interceptions they'd run but run one back for a touchdown you got to give him credit for that three forced fumbles but the versatility the ability to play on the outside the ability to come back in and play in the slot is something that i know patriots fans would love to see him do again next year, but it has to be at a cost. And much like I think what we're going to talk about in just a second here to wrap up this segment, it has to be on the Patriots' terms and it has to be affordable because if these guys hit the open market, they're probably going to get overwhelmed by an amount of years

and an amount of dollars, most prominently, where the Patriots may not be willing to go and that leads me to the offensive side of the ball my friend Patriots have already brought back Connor McDermott I think a good signing I think a solid signing for them well deserved he's a great option to have as a swing tackle I really like the retention there Patriots still have some questions on the offensive line Yannicka just still going to be out there. Isaiah Wynn's still going to be out there. Damian Harris, Jacoby Myers. When you look at this list of internal free agents, who's at the top of your list, Murph? Who are the Patriots have to bring back? You know, it that is, I don't know, possibly, you know, I believe

in my heart, you know, that the, yeah, I'm not going to say it, Damian Harris, you know, he's such a great compliment in that backfield. I understand that he's had some injury issues throughout his professional career. But they haven't been injury issues that will slow him in the long run, I don't think. You know, last year it was the thigh bruise that really slowed him down. And it's not like these are ticky-tack injuries either, people. That's not what I'm saying. He's not from the island of Fragile.

That is not what this man is. But if you can bring him back and keep this running back group together for another few years, I really like it. And then maybe you can grab somebody in the draft to bolster that, to bring in that constant third down back. Because we all saw last year that Ramondre, things got a little slower at the end of the season. He was a little bit more banged up. He was playing hurt because he had to play so many snaps. And I just love the way Stevenson runs. I really do. Yeah. You know, and, and it,

the same goes for Harris. I realized that they drafted two running backs last year, but we all know from recent memory that a running backs room can, can thin out quite quickly during a season. And to have somebody like this who knows the system, who will work really well with O'Brien when he comes in here, I have no doubt about that. I'm bringing him back.

Yeah. You know, I think Damian Harris is starting to climb the charts of a lot of savvy Patriots fans and a lot of analysts out there about a guy on the offensive side of the ball that really is, I don't want to say irreparable or irreplaceable. Thank you. Right. Excuse me, folks. But I don't want to say that this is a situation where they wouldn't be able to find what they're looking for out on the open market. But I think you hit the nail and articulated this perfectly just a moment ago when you said that the Patriots are going to need a veteran presence in that backfield. Once you thin out a running back core, it's almost impossible to be able to fill that position on the fly in really, I think, compact circumstances. And you saw the Patriots have to do that last year. James White retires prior to the start of the season.

Damian Harris had his injury problems all year long. So now all of a sudden, a lot is being put on the shoulders of Ramondre Stevenson. He had his injury issues as well at one point. And now you're down two rookies that were really, were a lot of upside, but a lot of green on those rookies as well at one point and now you're down two rookies that were really were a lot of upside but a lot of green on those rookies as well and they will have the opportunity to grow a little bit but you wonder how much growth is going to happen you still need that veteran presence someone that can come in and carry the load and damian does that perfectly here in new england he loves it here in new england if there's anybody that could take a a hometown discount I think

there's a chance that he would be able to do it and if that's the case and they can get a reasonable deal worked out between both sides you're really looking at a strong running back core now with Pierre Strong now with Kevin Harris coming back one year under their belts and you've got the veteran savvy of Romandre Stevenson and and damian harris now all of a sudden you're looking at a great running back core who shouldn't be who shouldn't be uh overlooked sorry felger but you know good guys in the locker room mean something they do they have well respected voice in that locker room yeah you really see it um getting a chance to cover damian during training camp is really one of the great

joys of being on the patriots beat being around the new england patriots at that point because no one is happier to be on that field no one is happier to see the fans no one is happier to be around that field than damien harris you might have guys that are just as happy matt judon has a blast he's out there doing a lot uh there are guys that have just as much fun, but I guarantee you, and I feel very confident to say no one has more fun than Damian Harris out there on the field. I tip my cap to you.

Definitely, I think, a great selection. Fans here of Locked On Patriots know the direction I went in on this one. Still say Jacoby Myers is vital to this team next year not as a wide receiver one and I think that's what scares me about this most is I think he's going to be paid like a wide receiver one because of dearth of availability of players of his caliber

just out there on the open market shallow yeah it really is you know it really is and that might play more to your point of making sure that you bring back somebody that works well with Mac and has a good rapport with him, knows this system inside and out. My only hesitation is the amount of money that I think he's going to get offered out there. It's like you said, there just isn't a lot of guys that move the needle. And, and that's, that's the only thing that, that separates, you know, keeping Jacoby around and watching him walk away here. I love him. He's a fantastic individual, a fantastic person, a very good receiver.

Um, but he doesn't move the needle like a number one. And I think that, you know, that eight, 10 to $12 million that I think that the Patriots would offer him a year. If he would come back for that, say a four year, $48, $45 million, $48 million contract, I'd be okay with it. But when you get up over that, I really have a problem because he's a chain mover. He's not a needle mover and he's not somebody that opposing defenses have to scheme up for and i would rather have that 12 million dollars and add six million dollars more to it for somebody who's coming over here in a trade um then then giving it to jacoby myers i'm sure i'm going to get a lot of grief over that no i think you make a good point i mean as much as Jacoby has become a fan

favorite he's a favorite of mine being able to cover him one of the most honest forthright and really I think genuinely open players that I've had the opportunity to be around so from a selfish standpoint I'd love to see Jacoby Myers back because it's always a lot of fun being able to get his take his interpretations of what happened on the field because it's always a lot of fun being able to get his take his interpretations of what happened on the field and he's always very candid in giving those but and that aside there's no right replicating what he's going to bring you on the field if you're going the free agent route but there's a limit there's a limit to how much the patriots are going to be able to spend and if they don't get a deal done by the time free agency starts on the 15th,

I don't think there's a chance they resign. Bill just does not, you know, Nelson Angler aside, he doesn't go out and spend this kind of money on wide receivers. It's the last thing they actually think of when building an offense. Things are different now. Tom is not here and nobody thinks that, uh, that Mac is, is, is Tom or can do the things that he did with lesser. But I just don't think that, uh, Jacoby is the kind of guy who can,

you know, elevate max game. And I would really like to see, you know, some, some of Kendrick bourne's best work has been done when jacoby myers has been sidelined yeah because there's just no other choice it's kind of like phil elliott down there in north dallas 40 you know when you when you really need that touchdown then then you look over to phil and put him in there in the game. And, you know, it's a hard pill to swallow, but it's true. Yeah, it really is a hard pill to swallow. But I just think the ceiling is that much higher with him than it is with Myers. And I think that's exactly what Patriots fans are going to discover,

is that the internal pull of free agents is definitely important. But when you go beyond the walls of the Foxborough faithful, you're not looking at a whole lot in terms of positions of need that can be filled with guys that haven't already been on the team. But Murph and I are going to discuss at least a couple, and I know Murph can't wait to discuss at least one of them that could make a big difference for the New England Patriots in the upcoming season. We're going to talk offense, defense, special teams when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, folks, today's episode brought to you by Ultimate Football GM. And you've heard me talk about this mobile game and app, and I can't tell you how much

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Closing the week in style. It's not mock draft Monday just yet, folks. It is free agent Friday, and we're getting ready to absorb the wisdom and counsel from all of our listeners out there who are submitting their free agent wish lists. But Murph and I are going through and giving you hours today to give you a primer for free agency. And Murph, in the previous segment, we talked about internal free agents. We talked about the guys that we'd love to see the Patriots re-sign and keep in-house. But now it's time to have a little fun and do a little external shopping as opposed to window shopping we're going to actually go in the store and try to find those players that are

going to help put the patriots back over the top and back into contention offense defense special teams murph the choice is yours what door are you walking into who do you want out there on the open market for the 2023 new england matrix well if we're gonna go shopping i'm gonna stick where i i shop regularly at the big and tall store i want mike mcglinchey dynamite i want mike dang i want mike mike mcglinchey um but glinchy's problem to this point in time has been consistency. He had a difficult time coming in. I loved his, you know, every former first round pick of the Niners. I loved his tape coming out of college.

And I thought that this kid was going to be a perennial all pro. That didn't really happen. But, you know, he's spent a lot of time in the tape room, spent a lot of time with some good coaches. And last year, he really put it all together. We've talked in the past, folks, about players that take time to develop and then just click. You know, that one year it just clicks. And if you look at what Mike McGlinchey did this year, working behind what three, four different or in front of three or four different quarterbacks and learning their their tendencies and where where they might be on any given snap. It really started to click for this guy. He's probably, I would say, the most cost-effective tackle

that's a free agent this year. Of course, there are other guys. There are bigger names out there. But McGlinchey's the guy that I want. I think McGlinchey is the guy that we all want in terms of what the Patriots need, in terms of what a player can deliver. And in terms of, and folks don't scoff at this, in terms of availability, I know a lot of what we do is speculative here on Locked On Patriots. It really is throughout all of sports media until it actually happens.

And we can give you as much educated guesses as you like, but there also has to be a realism factor in terms of who's going to be available and how these players are going to be available. McGlinchey is someone I think the Patriots could make a push for. I think he's someone that they could appeal to. And I think he's also someone. Yeah, exactly. And he's not getting tagged. That's where someone like an Orlando Brown.

Absolutely. You know, he's going to be pissed off about it again, like he should be, but Brown's going to end up getting tagged. Kansas city is going to play this as slow and as smartly as they possibly can. Big guys break down and they get hurt. And the smartest thing for Kansas city to do right now is tagging. Yeah, without question. I mean, you look at someone like Orlando Brown, for example,

a 60-plus pass blocking grade in every game in 2022 from week five on. That's a very, very good opportunity. For that quarterback, too. Yeah, exactly. That is very good for a player that wants to come in and make an impact on a team right away. He's actually had 11 grades over 70 from PFF down the stretch. So he'd be a massive addition to this Patriots group. And there's no question about it. They need him. They could use him. He's a very good tackle. I don't know if I consider him a great otherworldly

tackle, but he would definitely be a big solution to what the Patriots need. And I think he could arguably come in here and maybe be one of their top options at the position. But I agree with you. The likelihood of him being tagged is just way too high for me to sit there and say, yeah, okay, well, I can entertain this idea of him being an England Patriot because I just don't think he's going to be available. In that vein, you know, who do you go to? I mean, there are a lot of different players that could possibly be on the market. They could possibly be on the block.

A lot of people are, you know, talking about maybe dipping back into the tackle or the guard position. But to me, I think you hit the nail on the head offensively. I think Lynchie is a guy that really, really should be considered. Murph will play the game. Yeah. I'm sorry.

Risoner is Risoner out of Denver, out of Denver is another guy that I would take a hard look on somebody that can play just about any position on the offensive line. And that would be some good money spent as well. Yeah, it definitely would. I mean, there's a lot of argument there as well and someone who could probably come at a little bit of a i don't want to say i don't want to say a discounted cost no it wouldn't be the uh the amount that you would

believe that would uh take to sign someone like that i think risner is someone that arises someone that they could definitely bring in um i'll ask the question because I think there's a lot of upside here, but hasn't always shown it on the field. Juwan Taylor from the Jacksonville Jaguars, big tackle, had his best season, was the team's best offensive lineman last year, and you saw a big jump for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but there's been consistency questions throughout his tenure. What are your thoughts on him as a consolation prize if Brown or mclinchy is someone that they can't snag yeah

i like him uh you know talent has never been an issue with this kid uh it is as you said consistency he's only 25 years old though you know so i that that that bumps him up just a little bit. He started all 17 games, I think. And, you know, he only gave up, you know, four, five, six sacks all season long. He wasn't pressured at all. You saw what happened. Okay. This goes, we all saw it with the Patriots this year. What happens with poor coaching.

Okay, you can say that about this kid down there for the Jags, you know, during his career. And then you saw what happened last season when he had good coaching. Right. Okay. It means so much. And you folks should all understand it right now. What happens with good coaching? Yeah, it really does. It can make the difference between an adequate team on offense or it can make the difference between a not so adequate. Exactly.

It can make the difference between a playoff team and a non-playoff team, but definitely competency as opposed to incompetency. And you saw that fine line approach so many times last year. Hopefully, with the addition of Bill O'Brien, with the addition of Adrian Clem, that won't happen again. Murph, quickly, on the defensive side of the ball, you look at some of the guys that are out there. I know the Patriots are very well stacked at a lot of positions. We mentioned corner in the last.

We've heard the name Jamal dean thrown around an awful lot not really a world an otherworldly cornerback but very good impressed man only 26 years old probably going to have a market out there he's someone the patriots should be kicking the tires on um really not sure um you know the kid is underrated and i think he's going to to get some money out there uh he should have a really big big market you know i don't know if it's it's because he's so good and he just wasn't getting thrown at when he had, you know, eight pass defended last year. Uh, he had two picks in 15 games, but he held quarterbacks to like under 60%, well under

60% last year. So yeah, he's somebody that I, that, that I definitely give a look, look at, and he's probably somebody that, um, that would fit in well here. There's another couple of guys that I would like to see, you know, James Bradbury out of the Eagles, somebody that you could take a look at. Marcus Peters, okay, here's something out of left field for you. Peters had a fantastic career going for himself

until he blew up his knee two years ago. And last year it was a little bit of a down season for him. And if the Patriots do go cornerback early in the draft and they can get Peters on a one year prove it deal. And he comes in here and proves things that could be kind of some shrewd money spent um spend a little bit more but on a one-year deal and see how that happens what do you think about that michael yeah i think that's an excellent idea and look someone like a peters can come in here has knowledge of the patriots both from you know being an opponent but also inside you know information from guys that he's played with, which is really the case with any player.

But I mean, Peters is someone that does have a little bit of a step up on the competition. And I like that because it's a player with top flight level potential, but may not cost you top flight level dollars where guys like Dean and Bradbury right now are so high up on the food chain in terms of cornerbacks. They're going to get paid. There will be a market for these guys, folks. I think it's going to be tough for the Patriots to crack that. So I like that.

That's a very, very good option. And if Patriots want to go a veteran route for corner, I think that's the way to go. And it's needed. It's really needed here. If McCourty walks out the door and we lose Jones, then, you know, there's really no veterans back there, you know, that, that, that, you know, not a lot of veteran stability back there. And I think bringing him in, especially on a prove it deal one, maybe two, two seasons, see what's happening. He's still young. I think I, I, I don't have the age off

the top of my head. I mean, he's not, I, he's not 24 anymore, but he's, he's not 33 either. So, so, um, yeah, I, I just think that that would be, you know, it just hit me last night before, you know, on the night before, when we decided to do this show that, uh, he's somebody out there that could be intriguing and could look, look really good in a Patriots uniform. Absolutely, folks. And you know what? Bottom line, we are looking to hear what you would like the Patriots to do

because this is interactive, this segment, and we're going to be talking about free agents on Fridays coming up from here on in. So make sure to get those free agent wish lists into Locked On Patriots, very similar to the manner in which you submit your mock drafts for Mock Draft Monday. And the big guy and I are already toiling hard at work, ready to get to work and break down your great mock drafts. Don't forget to get those in for a nod to the gods as I always do to thank my good friend the Count of Murphy Fisto himself the legend

Thomas Murphy for joining me here today to close the week in style and in just a couple of short days folks we're going to open the week in style here again on Mock Draft Monday. Murph before we take our leave for the weekend any parting words for our adoring public or just an opportunity for you to let

people know what you're going to be working on? Because the last I heard, there's something going on in Fort Myers down in Florida right now. You may want to give us a little insight on what's going on there. Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. The Sox are going to play Northeastern today. And quite frankly, my son could start for both teams right now. That's not necessarily a knock, folks. Butchie is one, one great ball player.

So that's not to say that there's any disrespect intended. No, no. But I mean, he doesn't spend his pre-games tanning in the outfield either. So I've got some Red Sox stuff coming up over there at etgsports.com. Don't miss that. On Monday I'll be back here. Hopefully if Mike doesn't lock the door on Tuesday another edition of One Patriots Place with Klaz E. Clare. And other than that, that's about it. Bobby Wagner ain't coming here, people.

Just stop. Stop right now. Yeah, I almost thought of throwing Bobby into the mix. Yeah, I think linebacker is a place where I think the Patriots may look elsewhere if they're looking for external free agents. No disrespect to Bobby Wagner. If we had more time, I'd jump into it. Maybe we'll do that.

We'll hit the linebacking core next week. Yeah, I think so. And that could be a good way for any of you that are thinking the Patriots should go linebacker to drop your free agent wish list in the Locked On Patriots mailbox. Absolutely. Put it in the mail.

Well, that's a given, but you know, I mean, that's in all aspects of life, folks. But bottom line, we thank you for each and every one of you for taking time out of your week, out of your busy schedules each and every day to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of it. Folks, continue to send

in the mock drafts, send in the free agency wish lists. Interactive is something that we strive for here on Locked On Patriots, and we love the fact that our listeners are so passionate about giving us their feedback and wanting to lend their two cents on how the team can improve. And you never know who's listening, folks. Maybe it

reaches the ears of the powers that be up at one Patriots place. But in the meantime, please continue to stay safe and stay well and be the change that you wish to see in the world. On behalf of the great Thomas Murphy, I'm Mike DeBate. Have a great weekend and we'll see you on Monday.