Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Out on DeAndre Hopkins? Jerry Jeudy Too Pricy? Free Agent Friday

Episode Date: March 25, 2023

The New England Patriots are rumored to be “out” on trading for Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and “unlikely” to make a deal for Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. However, the really are not “out” on anyone. Host Mike D’Abate breaks down the latest rumors and what it means for the Pats, especially with the loss of Nelson Agholor. Mike also welcomes Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy to discuss potential free agent options at wide receiver, as well as their respective choices for a key under-the-radar signing for the Pats.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. Don’t miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON. FANDUEL 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

we keep hearing that the New England Patriots are out on wide receivers, Jerry Judy, Andre Andre Hopkins, but actually the Patriots are not out on anybody. 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. We'll be right back. you listen to podcasts to get the latest episode as soon as it's available. I'm 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 Twitter at MDABATENFL. And while you're out there showing some much deserved love to that Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Cats fans, today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook, official sportsbook partner of the NFL. Make every moment more. Visit

FanDuel.com slash Locked On today to get started. Patriots fans, welcome to Free Agent Friday here on Locked On Patriots. Closing the week in style, and that can mean only one thing. That's right, a visit from our good friend, that counter Murphy Fisto himself, the legendary Thomas Murphy of E2GSports.com. We'll pop in here in just a moment. And Murph and I are going to talk about the wide receiver position.

Yeah, been in the news a lot on Friday. Definitely a lot to talk about there and also provide you with our insight on who we believe could be some under the radar free agent gems that the patriots have picked up thus far so stick around an action-packed episode for today but first recent reports are indicating that the new england patriots at least for now are not interested in trading for Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Some reports are indicating that the Patriots might be a little bit more willing to trade

for the Denver Broncos' Jerry Judy, but it's not looking good on both fronts. I'll start with Judy first, folks, because we talked about him earlier this week here on Locked On. The Cleveland Browns, who are very much in the running for his services, sent their second round pick in next month's NFL draft. That's number 42 overall to the New York Jets in exchange for Elijah Moore and a third rounder. So right now, the Denver Broncos do not own that elusive pick in the first or second round that the Denver Broncos are looking for in return. What does this mean for the Patriots acquisition of Jerry Judy? Well, it takes the Cleveland Browns essentially out of the mix. If Denver doesn't lower its

asking price, and right now they really have a reason to ask that. I mean, you're talking about a young, prolific wide receiver, still under a rookie deal, a lot of years left, a lot of mileage left. Why would you take pennies on the dollar for Jerry Judy? They're going to try to get maximum amount of return for him. And again, I think they're absolutely right for doing so. But when you take a team like Cleveland out of the running, it would seem that the New England Patriots could take a little bit of a step up. Now, earlier this week, I did mention that Judy was unlikely to become a Patriot, and I'm not wavering on that. I still stand behind that, but that doesn't mean that the Patriots would be willing or not willing to start with a first or even second rounder for Judy. As I said earlier this week, folks, it's all about the return on investment.

And even though maybe they're not in on Judy right now, they're still not out on him. And honestly, they're not really out on DeAndre Hopkins either. I know a lot of buzz surrounded him on Friday morning. The Athletics' Jeff Howe put together a great piece about the Patriots' interest in DeAndre Hopkins. I think it was a little bit misinterpreted. Jeff's piece was a lot more straightforward and a lot more nuanced than people would give you an opportunity to

believe. He gave insight on his column, stating that the Patriots are among the teams that believe that right now the Arizona Cardinals is simply asking too much for his services and I'm going to quote Jeff's piece directly here quote with a new Cardinals regime headed by GM Monty Ossenfort of course we all know him from Patriots lore spent a lot of time up here as a scout and coach Jonathan Gannon going back to Jeff's piece right now, folks, rival teams know Hopkins would be a salary dump, which significantly reduces his trade value. That's why teams like the Patriots, who had early conversations with the Cardinals, don't plan to pursue him unless there's a substantial change in philosophy, according to a league

source. That means, folks, that right now, the New England Patriots are not willing to pony up for the asking price that the Cardinals have for DeAndre Hopkins' services. It doesn't specifically say that they've taken themselves out of the running. It's possible, not likely at this point, but that's important. That's very, very important because don't forget a couple of weeks ago, the Houstonxans sent brandon cooks to the dallas cowboys for a fifth and a sixth round pick that type of return i think really woke the cardinals up a little bit they've been asking for a second rounder for deandre

hopkins and they have to remember deandre's age his health situation, injury situation, there are parameters that will prevent this type of deal from getting done. And that may be one of them. Teams may be a little bit reticent to part with significant draft capital if they're only going to get maybe one, two years maximum of solid play in return. That's understandable. And the Patriots are probably among them right now. So I think if

they're going to trade DeAndre they're going to have to lower that price I always come back to Aristotle and say virtue lies in the middle and I think right now the cost is going to be somewhere in the middle of that second rounder and that fifth and sixth round package maybe an established NFL vet in there too you could take a lot of different permutations to get this thing done but the bottom line here folks is that the patriots if they're going to part with valuable draft capital they want to make sure that they're getting fair value in return and if the cardinals lower their asking price for deandre hopkins patriots will likely re-enter those talks i don't think there's any question about that he is too valuable of an asset for the patriots will likely re-enter those talks I don't think there's any question about that

he is too valuable of an asset for the Patriots just to completely turn their back on but the Cardinals are going to have to come down and that's the key it will they be willing to do that we're going to continue to monitor that throughout the weekend if they decide that they're going to still want a top flight wide receiver and they believe that the only way to get it is to surrender a day one or a day two pick, well, then I don't think they're going to do so for DeAndre Hopkins. They might do it for the youth and the promise of Jerry Judy of the Dallas Cowboys. So bottom line, I still don't think either of these deals actually happens, but keep a sharp eye on the market. Things could get interesting as early as this weekend. And if news does break, folks, we will be the first to bring it to you here on Locked on Patriots analysis and breakdowns.

So keep a sharp eye out. And don't forget, we're going to be back here first thing Monday morning, regardless, to bring you the very latest ins and outs from Foxborough. So that's the latest on potential additions, but there was a subtraction over the weekend or just prior to the weekend, I should say, folks, and that is wide receiver Nelson Aguilar on the move. Unrestricted free agent agrees to terms with the Baltimore Ravens on Friday.

The deal is for one year with a maximum of $3.25 million. And of course, Nelson was a part of New England's massive 2021 free agent overhaul. He came off of a career year in Las Vegas. A lot of people thought that he would take that deep threat ability here to New England. I was one of them. I really had some high hopes for Nelson, but unfortunately it just never worked out. He just never lived up to the production that he had with the Raiders. In two seasons with the Patriots, 68 catches, 835 yards, and five touchdowns.

So the writing, I think, was on the wall for Nelson Aguilar here in New England. You saw his playing time diminish down the stretch. He didn't score a reception in the Patriots' last three regular season games. He played just four snaps in the season finale. So he goes on to greener pastures for himself, hopefully in Baltimore. I can tell you from personal experience, he is a phenomenal teammate, beloved by the guys in that locker room. And maybe a fresh scenery, maybe a new beginning for Nelson will be exactly what he needs to really kickstart his career. As for the Patriots, they still have a lot of depth at wide receiver.

Tyquan Thornton, Kendrick Bourne, Devontae Parker, all coming back from last season. Juju Smith-Schuster is back in the lineup. And of course, Mike Gusecki is the tight end. Hi, Claire. He will be probably taking a lot of snaps in a receiver-like role. So the Patriots have a lot of ammunition as far as pass catchers go. But you can bet that they're still in the market to get one more. And even with Aguilar off to Baltimore and DeAndre Hopkins and Jerry Judy trades looking

iffy at best right now, the Patriots may still look to add that veteran free agent to fill the void. And in that vein, we are about to welcome that counter Murphy Fisto himself, Thomas Murphy of E2G Sports, talking veteran wide receivers and our choice for the best under the radar signings for your New England Patriots when this episode of the Lockdown Patriots podcast continues. But first, the Built March Madness bracket is here, and our good friends at Built are bringing you this podcast today. We know you have a favorite bar or puff, and now it's your time to make it count. Go to BuiltMarchMadness.com to vote for your favorites.

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Vote at BuiltMarchMadness.com and pick up a box of your favorite Bilt at Bilt.com. Patriots fans, thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage here on this weekend episode of the pod. Remember, Locked On Patriots is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And joining me here today to close the week in style, as he does every Monday, to open the week in style, is my good friend, the legendary Thomas Murphy of E2GSports.com. The Count of Murphy, Fisto himself, is here to lend his wisdom and counsel because it's not quite Mock Draft Monday yet, folks,

although we encourage you to get those Mock Drafts in as soon as you can to have them featured on Monday's pod. It is free agent Friday. And Murph, a much quieter week for the New England Patriots free agency-wise, really across the board, all 32 NFL teams kind of took a little step back from the free agent frenzy that we saw last week. And before we get into some of the Patriots under the radar signings that may not have gotten as much press as they deserve but really could move the needle for this team I want to talk a little bit about what we open the show to talk about today and that the Patriots appear to be out of the DeAndre Hopkins sweepstakes the price for Jerry Judy appears to be a little bit

too high I know people are willing to go there with the first rounder and just go all in, but there are a lot of logistical and financial roadblocks to making the move of this type. So we look at the best of the rest that are out there, Murph, and the Patriots could go one of two ways. They could go draft. They could go a veteran

free agent coming in here to try to take a look. When you take a look at this team and you look at what they have on the squad right now financial wherewithal that they have and what this team typically likes to do with their wide receiver core where do you see them going from here because you know they're probably going to add at least one more piece to this room before all is said and done yeah um i'm going to go all the way back to what I said at the beginning of free agency when he was cut from the Chicago bears and it's Byron Pringle. Okay. Pringle did not have a really good year last year with Kansas city. He had a little injury problem, a little hiccup there.

And, you know, but quite frankly you know, the bears do not have the most prolific passing attack. And that had absolutely nothing to do with Bayern Pringle. Had to do with the quarterback that they have under center. And the guy that they have on the sidelines calling plays. Sound familiar? Just a little bit. Yeah, I think in a lot of ways. I think, yeah, we're still all really reeling from a lot of what happened there.

Look, yeah, I think you're right on the money in terms of being able to get a savvy veteran, someone that can come in here, maybe revitalize a little bit of what he has and some of that prowess that was attached to his name. And I think Pringle can be a guy that comes in here and thrives especially with a pretty good supporting cast around him I know that surprises a lot of people when we say that but there is a lot of talent in that Patriots wide receiver right now when it comes to Juju Devante Parker is someone that can come in and do a good job uh here again in his second year now one year under his belt Taequann Thornton I think is ready for a bigger year than a lot of people. I think watch. Yeah. At this point,

people, you know, I I'm really, I'm, I'm really not in love with, with bringing in another X, Y guy. It's it's it would be detrimental to the slim Reapers development in the

second year. But Pringle is a man who can come in here. He's caught his last year in in here. He's caught, uh, it was last year in Kansas city. I think he, he got more than almost 600 yards in receiving. He put up five touchdowns, at least five touchdowns. And he's, he's another, he's another weapon. He's another guy that can go up there and get the ball. He's, he's,

he's not a little pution. He's 6'1", not quite as tall as my son, but still, he's somebody that Matt could utilize that would be a fantastic rotational piece. And as you know, folks, injuries happen. We've got guys on this team right now that do have injury histories, including the guy that we just brought in Juju Smith Schuster, who's had knee issues in the past. Okay. So these are things

that you have to, you have to talk about. You have to have that depth. And yeah, I do see the Patriots, um, signing a veteran free agent and possibly still grabbing a wide receiver in this draft, possibly very early if the right one falls to them. Yeah, without any question. And I think they will look at the wide receiver class this year. Not an extremely deep class. I think in previous episodes, I may have overrated it a little bit, but there is a lot of top heavy talent here.

Patriots would have to be savvy about bringing guys in but there are diamonds in the rough mid to late rounders that could come in and make a little bit of wave here for the new england patriots give them a little bit more firepower uh you mentioned pringle and i think that's good because not a lot of people were talking about him i think it's an interesting prospect and definitely oh yeah a lot more promise than prowess that you've seen so far. You know, who would you rather have? There are names like Kenny Galladay out there, Roby Anderson, I want to have nothing to do with whatsoever. Randall Cobb is 317 years old. Marvin Jones, thank you, no. You know, Julio, Julio is, Julio is the oldest man on the planet, okay? And he found Brady's cliff before Brady did.

All right. So bye-bye. See you later. And you all wanted him last year. And Mike and I were said, no, no, don't do it.

So yeah, here we are. Byron Pringle, pop, pop the can. Love, lovely stack of chips that just fit right together. And,

and I think Byron will fit perfectly in that tall tube in New England, in that wide receiver room. God, I'm exhausted. I'm exhausted. Well, as long as we're – by the way, I really – I love the reference there. It was always good. Being on a field for the flavor of a Pringle. Yeah, that is. Tired. It was always good. Being on a field for the flavor of a Pringle. Yeah, that is.

Tired. That's always good. I like the 317 years old comment about Randall Cobb as well. Kind of very coming to America-ish. Joe Lewis, 137 years old when he fought. But in any case, I love it. I really do. Murph obviously talked about Brian Pringle, I think definitely

is more realistic in terms of what the Patriots are going to do here now that we're starting to see a lot of these free agent dominoes fall, but perhaps the biggest free agent domino when it comes to the wide receiver position is still out there. And let's address the white elephant in the room. Odell Beckham Jrr continues to be the elusive target that so many teams would absolutely love to have on their squad but yet he continues to remain unsigned yeah um when he's dialed in there are a few talents in the league that can match his athleticism big play ability throughout any question this kid definitely has it. 7,367 yards, 531 catches, 56 of them gone for touchdowns in a nine-year career. So there's not a lot of question as to whether or not this guy can do it.

He can do it, and he's done it for a good long while. But again, there are questions about maybe his physical abilities. He is coming off an ACL. I understand that they do wonders in terms of being able to reconstruct that but you never know from one year to the next what it's going to take i remember guys like wes welker coming back from that injury and saying that it took him a full year to be wes welker again that first year was just not and he couldn't be wes welker for a long time exactly you know it didn't it didn't it didn Welker for a long time. Exactly. You know, it didn't last for a long time for him after that coming off that surgery.

That's when things started to go down. He still had a couple of really productive years, but it took years off his football life. Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, we're seeing videos, we saw the same videos of him making athletic catches that, you know, these throwings and these sessions that, yeah, I mean, I think that's important to remember where they're being thrown from, how they're being thrown, and they're designed to make you look better. You're obviously going to cater to your strengths in these matters. You're descriptive. Exactly. I know Bill Belichick has had complimentary things to say about Odell.

This is in no way a knock to him, whose game I absolutely love. I don't see this happening. I don't see it happening under any circumstances, because first of all, I don't think Odell's going to lower his asking price enough to be palatable to the Patriots. And even if he does,

I still don't think this is quite the fit that everyone in New England wants to see. I know people still salivate over this name. I don't think this is quite the fit that everyone in New England wants to see. I know people still salivate over this name. I don't see this happening. I don't think the Patriots go this direction. What say you, my friend? No, I can't see it happening. I will eat one of Butchie's hats. And you don't want to do that, people. You don't want to eat one of my son's hats. For all the reasons that you said and just he's another me guy. Me, me, me. You know, he's never really been the team player in my, you know, distant look at, at his career. It has never been about the team. It's always been about him. Uh, yeah, there was a, maybe a little pride swallowed winning a, uh,

a Superbowl out there in LA, but he, he took a year off in, in, it wasn't his decision to take a year off. He wanted to come back and play, but people just were not, they're not going to pay him this kind of money. I'm not shelling out this kind of cash. I don't see him taking a one year prove it deal to come here or go, go anywhere. You're going to have to invest time and capital into bringing him in and I'm not doing it. Yeah. I mean, there's always something to be said about the individual, the glorification of

the individual when it comes to wide receivers. And yeah, I think there is a little humility that comes with age, that comes with experience, that comes with maybe having to take a backseat or knowing that you weren't the catalyst and the reason why that ring is on someone's finger although you know with Beckham I mean you look at the game that he was having and people wonder whether or not that could have really been even something more two receptions 52 yards a touchdown in the limited sample size that he had on the field against the Bengals in the Super Bowl a couple of years ago so maybe there is a little bit of that. Maybe playing for Bill Belichick would be a draw for him. But ultimately, I think Odell is looking to play with a veteran quarterback that can

maximize his abilities right off the bat. I think the learning curve with he and Mac would be a little bit too difficult. So folks, if you're still pinning your hopes to Odell, I'm not seeing it here in New England. And again, Murph and I will have our humble pie out of mode. And we'll do it right here on Lockdown Patriots if, in fact, he does sign. But at this point, it's looking like the Patriots are going to go either the second-tier veteran or maybe through the draft. I have said for years there are two kinds of wide receivers in the NFL when it comes to free agents. Ones that are looking for a ring and ones that are looking for a payday.

He has his ring. I think he wants one more payday. And whoever comes up with the most money. And then there's the other side of that coin, the guy down there in uh in arizona who is looking for his ring he has his bag now he wants his respect and you get the respect through the ring yeah you know absolutely two reasons two reasons that you're not coming here because the patriots aren't probably aren't winning a super bowl this year things would have to you know i mean sorry to burst everybody's bubble but things would have to, you know, I mean, sorry to burst everybody's bubble, but things would have to break really, really well for the Pats to be hoisting Lombardi

in February. I don't think it's out of the realm of possibilities, but, you know, like I said, things are going to really have to go well for them. So, you know, that's it. And they're not paying the money. They're not paying the freight. Yeah. And in a lot of ways, I think you're absolutely right.

So because of that, it puts the Patriots maybe at a little bit of a disadvantage as opposed to some of the teams that they're competing against. But Murph, even though the big splash name is probably not still out there for the New England Patriots, there are still a lot of under-the-radar signings that this team has made that actually may end up moving the needle for new england in 2023 special teams is always a big concern i saw you tweet that out last night my friend but not only that a lot of internal retentions that i think make patriots fans very proud this year and a couple of them that murph and i will discuss in just a moment that might end up being some of the best moves that the Pats have made all year. Internal, external, under the radar, diamonds in the rough when this episode of the Locked

On Patriots podcast continues. But first, folks, today's episode brought to you by our good friends at FanDuel Sportsbook. The tournament is heating up and there is no place to get in on the action like FanDuel, America's number one sports book. Murph's excited. His guys are headed to the Sweet 16. I hate it, but I respect the hell out of it. But one thing you can do is you can maximize your earning potential by going with our good friends at FanDuel because right now FanDuel is giving new customers a no-sweat first bet up to $1,000. That's $1,000 back in bonus bets if your first bet doesn't win. And go to FanDuel.com to sign up today to claim your no-sweat first bet.

Then you can wager on everything from the money line to the point spreads to which team will be cutting down that net. All on the app that's safe secure and super easy to use so don't miss your shot at a no sweat first bet up to one thousand dollars when you join fan duel today just go to fanduel.com slash locked on to sign up make every moment more with fan duel patriots fans a legend himself a green king of sting, the kind of Murphy Fisto. Thomas Murphy of E2G Sports joins me here today on Locked On Patriots. Of course, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network.

In the previous segment, we talked about the moves that the Patriots may still make, moves that they may end up not making. And most of it does revolve around the wide receiver position which for better or for worse is always going to be the polarizing position when it comes to the fan base fans will absolutely talk in droves about the next wide out to come through those doors but the patriots have quietly been adding pieces to their roster, adding a couple of numbers to their repertoire, so to speak, that I think could end up really paying dividends for this team in the long run. Some special team signings, retentions, and of course, external free agents coming in as well.

Defensively, offensively, this team has done some pretty good things so far so when you look at this team from top to bottom obviously the big ticket items like Mike Kosicki, Juju Smith-Schuster you know they're going to get the headlines and they have gotten the headlines and internal retentions like Jonathan Jones and Jalen Mills have each got their moment in the sun but when you look at this roster top to bottom what are the under the radar signings that you look at what roster, top to bottom, what are the under-the-radar signings that you look at? What brings a twinkle to your eye right now and say, that was a smart move, that was a good one? Daniel Akwale. Fantastic move to bring him back.

He played 32% of the snaps last year due to a lot of injuries. And I think he's just another depth piece. These people keep talking about, oh, okay, just another depth piece. You know, these people keep talking about, oh, okay. You brought back another depth counts people. Okay. There,

there, there's, you know, there's a reason that, that good teams do not make the playoffs. There's a reason that, um, great teams become good teams and are knocked out early in the playoffs

because they don't have that next man up. Okay. Bill got hit with that a little bit last year, especially on the offensive line. and are knocked out early in the playoffs because they don't have that next man up. Okay. Bill got hit with that a little bit last year, especially on the offensive line, but he doesn't want this defense to falter. He knows that this defense is what's carrying the water of the New England Patriots. If you can get a little bit more out of the offense and bring in a couple of pieces there, then that's it. But I think Daniel Quale coming back is a sneaky, under-the-radar move

that is going to pay off for this team in the 2023 season. So well said. And Quale is someone that Bill Belichick has never shied away from singing his praises. And you know you're doing something right in that type of role when you're consistently being called out by bill and post-game press conferences and saying dan has done great things right he's been there all over uh the alignments in terms of the front seven and multiple locations where he can be deployed so i love that i think that's absolutely right on the money uh i love his retention and i think the patriots made a smart

move uh by bringing him back you can throw in guys like Matt Wilson, and you can throw in guys like Raekwon McMillan, who are coming back on team-friendly deals. They've got another year under their belt. Explosive, athletic. The potential is there with these two. We'd love to see them put it all together, and I think they have the opportunity to.

But Akwale has a number of years now in this system, and he's someone that I think can really pay dividends for the Pats defense in the years, in the months to come, when it comes to the 2023 year. I'm going to stay on, not going to stay on

defense, but I'm going to shy away from offense here. I'm going to go to the game's third phase. One of my favorite signings so far for the New England Patriots has been Chris Ford. This team was in desperate need of special teams help. Folks, when you look at football outsiders, DVOA metric, the Patriots ranked 32 in the league last year. That is about to be sticking in Bill Belichick's craw like you can't imagine. This is not something that Bill is going to let sit, and he did not let it sit.

Matthew Slater coming back, obviously, was a huge addition for this team because of the experience, everything that he brings. But Bord is one of those guys that can be a game changer in special teams. Last year, when the Patriots played the detroit lions and you heard bill belichick say this is the best special teams player we're going to play against all year it raised some eyebrows a lot of people's ears went up except for those in the room that were in the know that knew what he was talking about and knew exactly what he meant because this guy is definitely a special team standout uh 1721 snaps within various coverage units he can align

all over the place when it comes to special teams he's actually a pretty good reserve linebacker as well believe it or not 115 tackles two and a half sacks three force fumbles he's not going to do it consistently at that level played a little bit more in that uh realm with the Ravens than he did with the Lions but at the same time, this kid definitely can come in, and I think he can be a huge addition to that special teams core. So I love Chris Ford coming back in. And to me, I mean, you can never have enough firepower when it comes to special teams coverage.

Right. You won't see this special teams unit this year giving up two touchdowns in the final game of the year. Absolutely. That really stuck in Bill's craw. It was a huge reason why they didn't get into the playoffs last year, and that pissed Bill off. So everybody that's out there talking about money spent on specialty, there's still three phases to this team, to this game.

No matter what you talk about, punt return numbers or kickoff return numbers and percentages of how many are actually returned, there's still 70% of them being returned. There's still 40% of them being returned. And when you are not one of the elite offensive teams in the NFL, you've got to be able to flip that field. You really do. And moves like this are a huge part of that. They are a very huge part of that. And staying on the special teams unit for just a moment, because we've talked about in the past, Murph, how important it is to have special teams specialists that are comfortable in their realm so re-signing Joe Cardona I think is a big part of that as well that's another move that I think should get a lot more praise than it is I think it does get some

because Joe is so popular up here and people love what he brings to the table but Patriots didn't make a special teams move yesterday that I know caught your eye. You tweeted about it several times. Corliss Waitman coming in from the Denver Broncos, formerly of the Pittsburgh Steelers. This has a chance to be a sneaky good move for the New England Patriots. I really like watching Corliss. I think the Patriots might have got something. Yeah, so do I.

Corliss, in not a lot of action in 2021, um, averaged over 50 yards a point. He was, he was first in the league in, uh, in, in net yards. And it was fantastic last year, took a little bit of a step back, um, was still top 15 in the league. And, and I think that, you know, he spent some time here, I believe as an unrestricted free agent coming in, you know, he spent some time here, I believe, as an unrestricted free agent coming in. You know, an undrafted free agent. Played a little bit on the practice squad or something to that effect. So he knows his way around New England. And, yeah, I do.

There wasn't a kicker on this team. You know, there wasn't a punter on this team. There was nobody to kick the football off. There was nobody to kick punts two days ago. And now there is. And now you don't, if you're happy with this move, and I think Bill is, you really don't have to use one of those fifth or sixth or seventh round picks on a kicker, on a punter, you can wait until after the draft and bring somebody in and have a little competition. But you don't have to use a chip to go get one. Yeah, absolutely. And if they choose to use that chip to go get one, I think we've talked about Michael Turk, obviously. You know, there are options out there, either in the draft or maybe as undrafted free agents to come in to be able to push him.

Absolutely. You know Bill loves his Rutgers guys. He's going to do whatever he can to get one of them involved here. I'm not touching that one, folks. That came from Murph. That did not come from me. No, I'm kidding. All kidding aside, yes, he did. Corliss was here for a couple of months, played on the practice squad for a little bit. Brief stay. He was signed off of the practice squad. 53-man roster for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021.

And he did play a few games for them, obviously. But last season really came into his own as the primary punter for the Denver Broncos. And he had to do a lot of putting up there in Denver. 96, leading the league up there. Yeah. I mean, he did a lot of it. No question about it. A lot of going for it on fourth down.

You know, Jerry Judy out there. Didn't go for it a lot on fourth down, did they? I love it. Look at the full circle. We started talking about Judy. We're going to end talking about judy in a couple of minutes but uh definitely wanted to give him his just do week three of the 2022 nfl season 10 punts six of them went inside the 20 yard line there you go helped the denver broncos to an 11 10 victory over the san francisco 49ers not a lot of people

thought they could win that game they did it and that was a lot of the reason for that win was corliss waiting and being able to come in or an afc special a lot of the reason for that win was corliss weighton being able to come in or an afc special teams player of the week for that award so for an award for that performance so i didn't know that good good stuff on his uh resume there also if you want to talk about hang time and you know our good friend alex barth over at 98.5 the sports bug loves loves hang time with punters. 4.37 seconds. So that's, you know, within the top 10 of the league last year.

Pretty good. Pretty good for a guy that the Patriots got under the radar. He is. He's an accurate kicker. Something that we haven't seen here for a couple of seasons in New England. You know, squats be damned. Bailey did not have a good 2021. 2021 okay and he didn't start being asked to do squats till 2022

yeah there was definitely something going on there as well the three blocked punts i know a lot of people are going to blame coverage for that i'm not saying that it wasn't coverage that was the responsibility for that but the punter bears some some brunt of the responsibility as well. So time to move on for all sides, and we'll see what Waitman can provide. But again, I think this has the opportunity to be a very good move for the New England Patriots, and in the theme with under-the-radar potential gems the Patriots have put out there. There you go.

Perf, what can I say? You start the week in style here on Locked On Patriots, and you always close the week with more style. I don't know how he does it, folks, but he does it each and every week. So thank you for joining me here today on Locked On Patriots. Before I let you go, my friend, please let everyone know what you will be regaling all of the Boston sports universe with this weekend from the great Penn, the great voice of Thomas Murphy.

Well, you know, Steve Balistrieri is going to stop in at one Patriots place this week. Don't miss that on Tuesday. You know, the triumphant return of Steve Balistrieri is a special guest writer over there at patsfans.com and host of a former host of one Patriots place. And, you know, host of the great Patriots fourth and two podcasts. He's still, still doing that one.

And, of course, more Red Sox stuff. I've got a nice piece up there today about the Red Sox rotation and what they're going to be breaking camp with. Go check that out at E2G Sports. And, as always, you can catch me on that little bird app down there, at TeamRF207, and find out, you know, if something else ticks me off or tickles my fancy, you never know where I'm going to write. Absolutely, folks.

And definitely anytime he puts pen to paper, voice the microphone, it's a happening. Pay attention because you're going to be informed. You're going to be entertained. And what more can you ask for than that? And folks, please, from the bottom of our hearts, definitely check out the next one Patriots plays. It'll be great to see Steve back on the airwaves. We miss him here on Locked On Patriots.

We wish him all the best, and we always continue to. And we hope to have him on the airwaves back here lending his level-headed wisdom and counsel. There's still only one voice of reason here on Locked On Patriots, and we need it desperately here in Patriots Nation. I need it. In the meantime, well, that is true. But in the meantime, folks, we thank you, each and every one of you, for taking time out of your schedule each and every day all week long

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