Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Sleeping Giant: Patriots Fans Ignoring Romeo Doubs? | Mailbag!

Starting point is 00:00:00 Romeo Dobbs was the biggest free agency splash this offseason. So why are people sleeping on him? My answer to that and more in this week's Lockdown Patriots Mailbag. You are Locked on Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast, part of the Locked on Podcasts network, your team every day. What's happening? I am your host of Nick Cattels. On today's episode, we'll broach the idea of poaching a talented defender. from a division rival.

Starting point is 00:00:37 In the second segment, trading some of your best players is not something I'd be looking to do no matter what the reason. But first, Romeo Dobbs deserves more love. Let's get to the first question. This week's mailbag from Grod 4. Why is everyone sleeping on Romeo Dobbs? It's a fun question. The Romeo Dobbs excitement has certainly been tempered since the signing.

Starting point is 00:01:03 You go back to around the middle of March. I think a lot of people were very, very excited at the idea of bringing in a new receiver, somebody who had potential for Drake May. But that level of excitement, no doubt, has started to level off, if not fall off completely. And we can't. We can't go any further talking about Romeo Dobbs and why people might be sleeping on him. I don't know if it's everyone, but why are some, many, most sleeping on Romeo, Dobbs, we can't go any further in this conversation without addressing the 5,000 pound elephant in the room by the name of A.J. Brown.

Starting point is 00:01:42 That's why. That's why the expectations seem like they're slightly off. That's why people are not as excited about Romeo Dobbs today as they were, you know, two months ago, a month and a half ago. the AJ Brown story has dominated New England, and it's dominated Philadelphia. And of course, we're going to talk about AJ Brown later in this episode because we have more questions regarding the receiver. But that nonstop talk, you know, the fact that people are looking at A.J. Brown and saying, now that is a legitimate proven alpha. And as much as I love Romeo Dobbs, and I do love the signing,

Starting point is 00:02:23 as much as I think he's going to work out with the Patriots, I would not sit here and tell you that Dobbs is an alpha. I would not sit here and tell you that he's a proven number one at the NFL level because he has not been that guy. AJ Brown has been that guy. AJ Brown also has a much bigger personality. He has the story of loving the Patriots, growing up, being a Patriots fan, wanted to be drafted by the Patriots,

Starting point is 00:02:50 all that stuff. So the bigger personality, the story, and trades are always more interesting than signing to fans because there are a lot of different tentacles to that conversation, like the compensation. How much will the Patriots be giving up for AJ Brown? How much do the Eagles want and return for AJ Brown? How much is too much?

Starting point is 00:03:13 Maybe that's a topic later this week, right here on lockdown Patriots. But those types of conversations you can have about a trade, I think they're much more dynamic then, okay, you paid this much for that guy, it hit the market. Okay, Romeo Dobbs, he's on the team. And the story has also just been driven by, you know, too confident and opinionated fan bases. And when you talk about 2026 and social media, Philly, New York, the back and forth, just going to continue to feed that fire.

Starting point is 00:03:47 So A.J. Brown has impacted directly the excitement over Romeo Dobbs because now people are looking at the quarter. unquote bigger prize. But Romeo Dobbs, you know, he's somewhat meat and potatoes. He's not a super, you know, crazy, exciting or flashy player, which is another reason why I think people look at him and say, okay, good player, happy we got him. But he's not the sexy receiver that you're dying for. He's not Justin Jefferson. He's not, you know, A.J. Brown. He doesn't have that type of, you know, excitability within his game. He can make really good catches.

Starting point is 00:04:26 And don't get me wrong, he's made big catches. And, you know, individual plays have been exciting. But I would not call him a super exciting or flashy player. And maybe some fans just see Romeo Dobbs as Stefan Diggs light in this offense. So, like, it is what it is. I am very excited for Dobbs. I think his impact is going to be significant with or without AJ Brown. And he no doubt upgrades the room.

Starting point is 00:04:52 All right. Next question. See you, Mama. Who do you think could be a surprise cut at camp? It's tough to find veterans on this team and mark them down as surprise cuts because as we've mentioned throughout this offseason, especially heading into the draft, there are a number of positions that lack great depth. But my best surprise cut candidate would be Pop Douglas, especially after what Mike Vrable said about Pop Douglas several weeks ago. Frabble came out, pumped the tires of Pop Douglas, got to get them more involved. But, you know, I think that would surprise many people if Pop Douglas was cut, especially after those comments.

Starting point is 00:05:33 But it wouldn't be a huge surprise to me if you've listened to this podcast long enough. Now, why would Pop Douglas get cut? Number one, we go back to the 5,000 pound elephant in the room, A.J. Brown. A.J. Brown is going to squeeze the snaps at the slot. How's he going to do that? You acquire A.J. Brown, he's your outside receiver. You got to put Romeo Dobbs somewhere. You've got to put Kyle Williams somewhere.

Starting point is 00:06:00 You've got to put Mack Hollins. You guessed it somewhere. And so if A.J. Brown is going to be out there on the outside, being that boundary ex-receiver, those other names I just mentioned, they're going to be Z and they're going to be in the slot. and that is inevitably going to take opportunities away from Pop Douglas. So the A.J. Brown factor, the trickle-down effect. Secondly, the Patriots to me, you go out and you sign Reggie Gilliam, you go out and you sign Julian Hill,

Starting point is 00:06:33 you go out and you sign Elijah Verit Tucker. These are moves that are emphasizing the run game. And if you're going to emphasize the run game, if you're going to run the football more, I've said this for a long time and you know it. Pop Douglas is blocking. It's just not going to be consistent at a high enough level for the Patriots, I think, to look at it and justify getting him out on the field.

Starting point is 00:06:59 So the blocking element. You also look at Efton Chisholm, a cost effective option. And Pop is a cost effective option right now, but he is walking into the final year of his deal. Meanwhile, you've got Efton Chisholm, who is the cost-effective option as the fifth or sixth wide receiver, who can play on the inside if need be, played a little bit on the outside last year in camp and during the preseason. But if you need a guy who can cover up the slot position, if those others I mentioned earlier are out with injuries or whatever is happening, Chisholm's that guy who could fit into that slot.

Starting point is 00:07:36 He's a different player than Pop Douglas, but he's also bigger. and we saw towards the tail end of the year when Mack Hollins was out last season, Chisholm does show he shows the willingness to get into the run game and throw his body around and block. And he's just a bigger guy than Pop. So I think he's a bigger run blocker. And Pop's had some issues against zone coverage. He's been inconsistent there.

Starting point is 00:08:00 And you wonder if Drake May is comfortable throwing to Pop Douglas down the field at his size. So that's my surprise cup. All right, M.J. Rodnick, what are your next three notable roster moves? I'm not taking the easy way out here by putting A.J. Brown down on this list. Brown is a Patriot, I think, by June 2nd. So let's come up with three other roster moves. That would be notable. I do think the Patriots will go out and sign another interior offensive lineman because they did not draft one.

Starting point is 00:08:29 I know they got a couple of UDFA guys in town, but I think the Patriots will look to sign an interior offensive lineman, not having those two fourth round. Picks hurt the opportunity to address that position in the draft. I'm not only looking at guard, though. I could see someone sign at center for center depth. That way, you can utilize Ben Brown as your top offensive guard backup and not be concerned. Well, what if Jared Wilson goes down and we got to play Ben Brown at center, then who's going to play the backup guard in case Michael Wenu or the oft-injured

Starting point is 00:09:04 Eliza Verit Tucker go down? So I think they'll likely sign another interior offensive lineman. I think they're going to sign another linebacker. I'm not completely sold on KJ Britt or Chad Muma being the third guy in the rotation. Namdi Obi-Zor, that's a lot to ask for from a guy who was drafted in the sixth round, more of a special teams dude. And Robert Spillane is 30 years old. There are a couple of names that are still out there the Patriots could look at.

Starting point is 00:09:31 Camp cuts could create an opportunity to upgrade there as well. a lot of teams drafted linebackers because of the depth at that position. That's another position that was hurt by not having fourth round picks. But, you know, those teams that drafted younger linebackers could end up cutting some guys on the fringe and maybe they represent upgrades over KJ Britt. The third move I'll say is Christian Gonzalez signs an extension before September. Similar timeline to Sauce Gardner. Sauce Gardner signed in July last year with the Jets.

Starting point is 00:10:02 and I think Christian Gonzalez will get done. That deal will get done before they kick the football off in a game that matters in September. So those are my three moves. Interior Offensive Line, linebacker, a couple depth signings there, and Christian Gonzalez and his contract extension gets done before the season kicks off.

Starting point is 00:10:25 Could trading for A.J. Brown open the door to another huge deal from this Pat's front office. My answer is coming up next. This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, now the number one sports podcast network, your team every day. The NHL playoffs, they're happening right now. Every shift matters. Every moment is intense.

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Starting point is 00:12:02 episodes and access to a group chat with other listeners of this show. Tap the link in the show notes to find out more. We'll go to lockdown patriots.supercast.com and don't forget, don't forget, if you're watching us on YouTube to click that thumbs up, give us the like, throw a comment in, and don't forget to subscribe. We're over 9,650 subscribers. That next goal is 10,000 subs. I appreciate every single solitary one of you.

Starting point is 00:12:31 All right. next question, Russell Brie, 7809. Do you think there is any way the Pats would trade Christian Gonzalez to make up the draft capital they lose in the A.J. Brown trade. Well, first, let's start with the idea, the notion that anything is possible. Kevin Garnett said it a long time ago. Anything is possible. Celtic showed us that it's possible to lose a three games to one lead against the 76ers.

Starting point is 00:12:58 Anything is possible. And yes, I'm still upset about that. But I don't think it makes much sense to deal Christian Gonzalez. Finding a top five level talent at outside corner, it's not easy. It is not easy at all. You see what the chiefs just did in the draft. They moved up from ninth overall to sixth overall to draft Mansar Delane. And they gave up a pretty penny to move.

Starting point is 00:13:29 move three spots up to draft their cornerback of the future. So finding that outside corner, it's not easy. And if you're going to deal Christian Gonzalez, the $1 billion question is who replaces Christian Gonzalez? If you make that move, who are you replacing him with? And you could easily say, oh, well, the draft. Okay, well, depending on what picks you have, what type of talent is in the draft,

Starting point is 00:14:00 how deep is the cornerback position, what would you have to give up if you had to give something up to move up in the draft to pick an outside corner? There's just a lot of questions that follow. And I think we've been spoiled by cornerbacks in New England.

Starting point is 00:14:18 I don't even think it. I know it. Not every team in the NFL can go back 25 years and go, okay, well, tie law. and some would say Asante Samuel, some wouldn't. Dorel Revis, Akeed Talib, Staphn, Gilmore, and now Christian Gonzalez. I mean, you have had five top corners, and you could argue Malcolm Butler at one point was one of the better corners in football

Starting point is 00:14:45 for the paths for a couple of years. But I would underline those names. Tilea, Derele Rieves, Akeep Taleb, Stefan Gilmore, and now Christian Gonzalez. That's a handful of cornerbacks that you've had over the past 20 plus years that are legitimately considered some of the best cornerbacks of their generation. That's not easy to accomplish. That doesn't happen for every franchise. So we've been spoiled.

Starting point is 00:15:13 And having a top cornerback can help you contend. That's why you look at those corners I just named. They're a major reason why the Patriots were contending. Yeah, obviously Tom Brady helped. But Ty law, Dorel Rivas, Akieb Talib, Stefan Gilmore, Bill Belichick obviously felt like an outside corner was vital to a defense's success. And I would agree with that. A top corner can limit a top wide receiver.

Starting point is 00:15:46 A top corner that can play man coverage can allow you to be aggressive defensively, which is what we saw from the Patriots, during just last year's playoff run. Why was the Patriots defense so darn good? Because they were able to blitz a ton. They were able to get super aggressive in their front seven. And that was because they had Christian Gonzalez as a number one corner. That type of stuff doesn't happen if you don't have that kind of guy.

Starting point is 00:16:14 Why create a gaping hole when you're still building this roster out? You have one of the biggest questions that you could have on a football. team. You have that answered. You have that solved with Christian Gonzalez. Why move away from that? And if you're dealing for Brown, it's because you believe he helps you significantly. Giving up draft capital is part of the game if you want to play that game. So I'd say keep Gonzalez. A dang pop-tart. If another team swoops in and snags A.J. Brown, would you think this offseason was a disappointment? It's a great question. I'm going to try to be nuanced here. That's the warning. Overall, overall, disappointed, no. If the Patriots failed to get AJ Brown,

Starting point is 00:17:00 I would not look at this entire offseason and say, disappointment. Because I think their roster is better even without A.J. Brown than it was last year in totality. Now, 100%, it would be incredibly disappointing if they don't land Brown. 100% there would be disappointing aspects of not being able to execute that trade. You didn't fill a major hole with the legit alpha wide receiver, which was one of your top needs going into the off season. That is disappointing. Thinking that Brown was in your back pocket and therefore not picking a wide receiver in the

Starting point is 00:17:39 draft, that is a disappointment. But overall, you got better at offensive tackle. You're deeper at offensive tackle. Overall, you got better, I think, at defensive end, at edge with Draymont Jones and Gabe Accus. I think your run game should be much better in 2026, adding Reggie Gilliam, adding Julian Hill, adding Elijah Verit Tucker, sliding Jared Wilson back to center, another year under the belt for Will Campbell.

Starting point is 00:18:06 So I think your run game should be much, much better. You have upgraded the back end with Kevin Byard, and I would anticipate somebody pointed this out to me on Twitter, which is a great job at lockdown Patriots and of course at Nick C. Radio, but somebody pointed out to me on Twitter, hey man, you didn't bring up

Starting point is 00:18:26 Craig Woodson. It's a big time omission when you're looking at if the roster is better or not. And that's a great point. You know, I didn't bring up Craig Woodson being in his second year, which means he should improve. I think you're younger and more versatile at tight end. Keeping the

Starting point is 00:18:42 coaching staff intact. A side of from Robert Coogler and a defensive assistant was a major coup, keeping everybody, Thomas Brown, everybody, Zach Corstays, Terrell Williams is coming back in a full-time role. So I think overall the offseason should not be deemed a disappointment if you swing and miss at A.J. Brown, but it would be disappointing in that aspect. All right. Let's go to George Smith, 8, 9, 7, 5, 6.1. Do I need to say all the numbers? Do you think there's any chance we trade Michael Wenu, sign Joe Petonio, Kevin Zaitler, or Mackay Beckton, as a one-year stopgap, then revisit the position next trap? Again, there's always a chance. You know, Michael Wenu going into his final year, he's had a history of showing up out of shape for camp. If he shows up, you know, dramatically out of shape, that could be a big problem.

Starting point is 00:19:35 He's 28 years old, so he's not necessarily a spring chicken, especially. again because he's not always in the best of shape when he shows up. And you could, you could sign a left guard. You could go out there and sign a Joel Betonio and slide Elijah Veritucker to right guard. You could absolutely do that. Trading Owenu would be adding to the war chest of picks for next year's draft. And right now you have your first, your second, your third, and your fourth round picks in 2027 to go along with two fifths and four-sixth. so you could add to that war chest of picks by dealing Owenu.

Starting point is 00:20:14 But I just don't think it's going to happen. At this point, you ask after the draft, like what could you get from Mike Owenu? Fifth round pick, sixth round pick. Now, maybe you could trade Owenu in like a fifth for a fourth, maybe. But I don't think there are a lot of teams that would be willing to pay more than a fifth or that kind of a pick swap for Mike Owenu. I just don't, I don't see it. And I'd argue, I've done this plenty of times, I'll do it again.

Starting point is 00:20:46 Michael Wenu was your best offensive lineman last year. So I'm just not giving him away. You also have plenty of questions on the right side. Morgan Moses, 35 years old, Jared Wilson making the transition to play center at the NFL level for the first time. That is his natural position, but he hasn't played it in the NFL. And so, you know, Elijah Vera Tucker would certainly be fine between those two guys. He'd be an upgrade over Owenu, but then you get into the whole health thing, right? And so, you know, if you deal Michael Wenu and you bring in Joel Betonio, well, okay, now,

Starting point is 00:21:19 Betonio's in his mid-30s, Zytler's in his mid-30s, but Kai Bechtin's coming off a terrible season last year with the Chargers. So if you're, you know, you have some questions there at left guard that you just created and you moved Elijah Verit Tucker to right guard and we know the questions with him and his health. And your depth, you know, is still a big question. And your depth is a big question with even more questions, I think, at your starting guards. And you already had two significant changes on the O line. Like ABT being the left guard and Wilson sliding over to center, I just, I really enjoy the idea of continuity on an offensive line.

Starting point is 00:22:01 So I don't think it's going to happen unless there's some kind of holdout or there's a problem with the player. Coming up next, taking away from a division foe to make you younger and stronger. This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. This episode is sponsored by Better Health. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and it's an important reminder that whatever you're carrying right now, you don't have to go through it alone. Life can feel overwhelming sometimes, whether it's stress, uncertainty, anxiety, and it's easy to feel like you need to figure it out by yourself. The therapy can be a place to get support, gain perspective, and talk things through with someone who's there to listen and help. BetterHelp connects people with licensed therapists and makes it easier to get matched with someone who fits your needs and goals.

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Starting point is 00:23:27 The Pat signed Julian Hill and Reggie Gilliam away from division rivals this offseason. And I think there's someone on the Jets the Patriots could target next offseason. Thanks for checking out the Lockdown Podcast Network. now the number one sports podcast network your team every day don't forget to like comment and subscribe if you're watching on youtube next question we go to uh braille patrick at brayall patrick what current jet do we expect to be a patriot by next year fun question wasn't quite ready for this one not a lot of options here when you look at the jets depth chart they have a lot of young players.

Starting point is 00:24:08 They're going to have even more young players after this year's draft and next year's draft. So not a ton of options, but for fun, one guy, I think, could peak the interest of Mike Vrable and the Patriots is Jamie and Sherwood. Now, I say that because the Patriots reportedly were interested in Sherwood last year, last offseason. Before he resigned with the Jets, the Patriots were reportedly interested in Jamie and Sherwood. and I don't know if I'd call it a pivot because at the end of the day,

Starting point is 00:24:42 what was reported and really how interested they were and how much they were willing to pay for Jamie and Sherwood and were they more interested in Robert Spillane, but didn't know of Spillane. All I could tell you is Jamie and Sherwood was brought up multiple times in reports last offseason regarding the Patriots interest. And so, you know, I wouldn't be shocked if they were interested in him again next offseason. and, you know, Robert Spillane, who is 30 years old, he was the pivot, probably the pivot last year.

Starting point is 00:25:13 So you pivot away from Robert Spillane and you move towards your original target when you took over the program, which was Jamie and Sherwood. And Jamie and Sherwood is a sideline to sideline linebacker. He's six foot two. He's not big. He's 220 pounds. So he is light in the tucktook. he's only 26 years old. So you would get appreciably younger at linebacker

Starting point is 00:25:40 if you made that type of move. Jamie and Sherwood is looking at the contract. He's walking into what could be his final year with the Jets. He has a potential out after this season. And who knows what's going to happen with the Jets, right? Aaron Glenn could be gone. A lot of changes could happen. And so I wouldn't be shocked if Jamie and Sherwood,

Starting point is 00:26:02 if the out, if that trigger is pulled, and he says, you know what, I'm not going to return to the New York Jets. Enough is enough is enough. I want to go to a team that I feel like is winning more than the Jets. So I want to see what else is out there because he did resign with the Jets. I believe it was before free agency actually kicked off. So he never really got a taste of free agency.

Starting point is 00:26:23 It's got a $19 million cap hit next year. If the Jets wanted to keep him, which feels pricey, given where the Jets are as an organization. So again, would not be surprised if he was if he was out there and available. And the Patriots, it's a position of need. Christian Ellis and Robert Spillane both could be done after this year. So it is absolutely a position of need. All right.

Starting point is 00:26:46 Next question. Brian Hurst, 0.1. Any official dates on training camp? Pat's Nation is hungry after the weekend trauma. Oh, my goodness, right? Hoof. Hoof. It's a rough weekend.

Starting point is 00:27:01 It was a rough weekend for all of us. Tough last month in Boston, sports-wise. Celtics collapse was inexcusable. Bruins, I understand that one a little bit more, but man, how bad they've been at home since really winning the Cup. It's, you can't even explain that. But let's get to some dates. Let's look forward.

Starting point is 00:27:26 Brian wants to look forward. Let's look forward. So this week, good news. May 8th through the 10th. rookie minicamp. So you will have rookie minicamp this week. Last year, Mackay Butler and Wilfried Penne, that's how you pronounce his last name. They actually earned active roster deals.

Starting point is 00:27:46 So it is something to keep in mind if there's a rookie that flashes that, you know, isn't one of the draft picks, you could end up signing one of those guys, multiple guys, as you get ready for camp. So we'll always keep an eye on that. The draft class will actually be on the field this weekend, which is awesome. The guys will actually be on the field. From what I understand,

Starting point is 00:28:11 the media will be able to go to practice on Saturday. So we should get some actual reports from rookie mini-camp practice, which, you know, feed it, feed it to me. Actual reporting on football activities. Then you've got OTAs, Brian. May 27th and May 29th, your first two sets of OTAs. Then they are back at it June 1st, June 2nd, then June 4th, then June 8th, 9th, and the 11th.

Starting point is 00:28:42 So May 27th, May 29th. And then in June the 1st, the 2nd, the 4th, the 8th, the 9th, and the 11th, those will all be OTA days. It's kind of cool to think about it because A.J. Brown, if that trade happens June 1st, maybe it happens June 2nd, You have that June 3rd day. So you have OTAs June 1st, June 2nd, but you have the third off that would open the door for the grand arrival of A.J. Brown on June 3rd. Mandatory minicamp is June 15th through June 17th. That could be holdout time. Is Kishon Booty still in New England?

Starting point is 00:29:20 Christian Gonzalez's contract situation? Michael Wenu. Does he feel a little froggy? So, you know, mandatory minicamp is usually the time guys start to. try to leverage. So we'll keep an eye on that. And then camp will start in late July. Likely the week of July 20th, joint practices are usually held in August. So that's how the next few months should unfold. Hopefully, that gets you to look forward. And I don't think it's going to let you forget the trauma because my goodness.

Starting point is 00:29:52 All right, that wraps up this edition of Lockdown Patriots. Thank you for making us your first. Listen, for being an everydayer. Reach out to me on Twitter at Nick C. radio and don't forget to throw a comment in on the YouTube channel hit that thumbs up hit that thumbs up and subscribe and if you never miss an episode the everydayo club is built for you get locked on patriots ad free plus members only discord access and more at the locked on patriots supercast.com or check the link and the show notes to learn more have a great day thanks for the questions we'll talk to you next time

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Sleeping Giant: Patriots Fans Ignoring Romeo Doubs? | Mailbag!

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