The New England Patriots safety depth could use some improvement, and there now appears to be a readily-available answer. The Cincinnati Bengals released safety George Iloka in a cap-saving move, and the longtime NFL veteran is now a free agent. The New England Patriots should look into bringing George Iloka into Foxboro.
George Iloka to the New England Patriots
The Patriots currently have a solid starting trio of safeties in Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung, and Duron Harmon. However, there isn’t much depth behind those three. Jordan Richards has shown zero ability as a safety, and free agent signee Eddie Pleasant is a low-upside depth piece.
If the Patriots make a move for Iloka, they will dramatically improve their safety depth. The Patriots play nickel defense with three safeties more than they play a base defense. A high-contact sport like football comes with injuries and expecting McCourty, Chung, and Harmon to stay healthy the whole year is asking the impossible. Because of this, having three good safeties just isn’t enough for the Patriots.
Iloka has started every game he played with the Bengals, so he’s certainly capable of playing a role on this team. Per Pro Football Focus, Iloka finished the 2017 season as the 40th best safety in football, earning a league average grade. By comparison, Richards finished as the 78th best safety.
A Versatile Fit
If there’s one thing Bill Belichick loves in a player, it’s versatility. This is especially true for a depth piece, as Iloka could need to play several different positions depending on how injuries affect the Patriots. Fortunately, this shouldn’t be a problem for Iloka.
Iloka has experience at both free safety and strong safety, playing both positions while with the Bengals. While he has more experience as a strong safety, he’s certainly capable of stepping in should something happen to McCourty or Harmon.
A Cheap Addition
At first glance, one might think the biggest obstacle with bringing Iloka aboard would be finding a way to fit his salary. Per @patscap, the Patriots currently have $7,631,955 in available spending money. Prior to getting cut, Iloka carried a cap hit of $5.3 million, and the Patriots will not use up that much cap space for a depth safety.
However, Iloka’s next contract will be considerably cheaper than his old one. The Bengals releasing Iloka in the first place was purely a financial move, meaning that his play didn’t justify his high paycheck.
Additionally, the safety market has been dead this season. Free agent safety Tre Boston received just a one-year, $1.5 million dollar deal with a maximum value of $3.5 million. Meanwhile, safety Kenny Vaccaro also received a $1.5 million dollar deal.
Both of these players had all off-season to establish his value, and that’s all they could get. Iloka was released three weeks prior to the regular season. Because of this, it’s hard to imagine Iloka receiving more money than Boston or Vaccaro. $1.5 million is essentially no money at all for an NFL franchise, and it’s very easy to clear up that type of cap space. Cutting running back Mike Gillislee alone would save the Patriots around $2 million in cap space.
Last Word on George Iloka
There’s a good safety on the market, and the Patriots should capitalize on this recent development. Iloka can be a valuable depth piece who immediately upgrades the Patriots roster. He has the versatility to play both free and strong safety, and 2018’s barren safety market should make obtaining Iloka an easy financial move.
While Iloka isn’t the best safety in the NFL by a long shot, he’d be a great fourth safety. The Patriots are just one injury away from Jordan Richards or Eddie Pleasant seeing serious time on defense. The best way to prevent that and protect against injury is to bring George Iloka to Foxboro.
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