The Patriots were active in the first week of NFL free agency, agreeing to deals with 13 players as of Sunday afternoon. Several signings helped shore up positions of need as well, with defense getting a fresh look.
Still, there are a few positions that New England will likely have to address if it hopes to win more than four games in 2025. The Patriots only made one signing at wide receiver and one along the offensive line in the first week of free agency. They also created a need later in the week when they released longtime center David Andrews.
The signing of right tackle Morgan Moses should help improve the Patriots’ offensive line, but there are still questions at left tackle, left guard, and center. So, with the draft still over a month away, let’s take a look at five players who the Patriots can target to help fill the needs they have at each position.
OT Cam Robinson
By many rankings, Robinson is the top offensive tackle remaining in free agency. The 29-year-old is one of the few offensive tackles on the open market who’s started several games at left tackle over the last few seasons. When you couple that with the fact that offensive line coach Doug Marrone was the Jaguars’ head coach when they selected him in the second round of the 2017 draft, Robinson would appear to be a natural fit for the Patriots.
However, it appears there are some obstacles standing in the way of a possible deal between Robinson and the Patriots. Robinson’s reputation is “a little spotty” and New England might be looking to give him a more incentive-laden deal, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer recently said on NBC Sports Boston.
Robinson didn’t have a great showing with the Vikings after they acquired him at the trade deadline in the middle of the 2024 season, either. He gave up four sacks and 41 pressures over 11 games in Minnesota, per Pro Football Focus. The 64 pressures he allowed were also the most among all tackles last season.
Still, Robinson would likely become the Patriots’ top option to play left tackle if they signed him. He was graded by PFF as an above average pass-blocker in each of the three seasons prior to 2024, something that can’t be said of New England’s other options for the position.
OT Jedrick Wills Jr.
Wills is also among the dwindling list of free agents that have considerable experience at left tackle. The 25-year-old, who the Browns took with the 10th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, might have the highest upside of the group. He earned first-team All-Rookie honors in 2020 and has been graded as an above average pass blocker by PFF for most of his career.
But the last couple of years weren’t great for Wills in Cleveland. An MCL injury ended his 2023 season after eight games while he was benched in 2024. Wills claimed that the benching “shocked” him with the decision coming after he sat out a game due to a hyperextended knee. He only started four games last season as a result.
Mike Vrabel was a part of the Browns’ staff last season, working with the team as a consultant while primarily focusing on the tight ends. So, Vrabel likely has some knowledge about Wills’s situation in Cleveland last year and whether he might be a reliable player moving forward.
G Teven Jenkins
In terms of guards, Jenkins is listed as the best player available at the position by most top free-agent lists. Jenkins has been a standout for the Bears at left guard over the last few seasons, grading out as PFF’s 18th-best player at the position in 2024.
Like most players still available, though, Jenkins does have a pretty notable flaw. The 27-year-old’s already dealt with a good amount of injuries, missing eight games over the last two seasons due to a few different ailments. The Bears opted not to re-sign him, trading for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson earlier in the offseason.
Still, Jenkins would give the Patriots a strong option at left guard and would undoubtedly be an improvement over what they’ve had at the position over the last couple of seasons.
OT Joe Noteboom
As the vast majority of free agents remaining have some sort of wart, Noteboom could be a player that’s worth taking a flyer on. The 29-year-old’s last few seasons have been riddled with injuries, missing a considerable amount of time with the Rams due to an Achilles tear and an ankle sprain.
When Noteboom has been healthy, though, he has shown flashes of high upside. He was graded as an above average offensive tackle in the 2021 and 2022 seasons before the injury-riddled 2023 and 2024 campaigns. While he’s mostly played left tackle since 2020, Noteboom has recorded several snaps at left guard and right tackle in his NFL career.
So, Noteboom might not have the highest upside of the remaining offensive linemen in free agency. But he’s had some solid seasons in the past and his versatility would be valuable for a Patriots squad that’s had to play musical chairs with their offensive line a lot over the last two years.
C Garrett Bradbury
As Andrews was released on Thursday morning, a potential replacement for him emerged later that day when it was reported that the Vikings plan to move on from Bradbury. Minnesota is reportedly seeking a trade suitor for the center, but will release if it’s unable to negotiate a trade.
In the possible scenario that the Vikings release Bradbury, it appears that the Patriots will be a potential suitor. It “shouldn’t be a surprise” if New England signs Bradbury if he’s released, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported in his Sunday notes column.
The Patriots already have a few in-house options to replace Andrews at center with Ben Brown, Cole Strange, and 2023 fourth-round pick Jake Andrews in the fold. But Bradbury has a stronger track record than any of those players, playing in every offensive snap for the Vikings in 2024.
Bradbury, 29, wasn’t as solid in 2024 as he’s been in the past, grading as PFF’s 33rd-best center last season. However, his presence would likely allow the Patriots to not have to worry about drafting a center with one of their first few picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.
