ESPN has released its top 50 free agents for the 2024 offseason. Among those 50 names, are four New England Patriots. Traditionally, you wouldn’t expect a team that went 4-13 to have such hot commodities on the roster. However, with the Patriots defense being so stout all year, this comes as much less of a surprise. With two defenders and two linemen finding their names on this list, how will it impact the Patriots as they gear up for a fresh start in 2024?
Patriots Have Four Players Named to ESPN’s Top 50 Free Agents
Obviously, the Patriots are in the midst of a total rebuild for this offseason, and there’s a lot of work to be done both in free agency and the draft. Part of that conversation is deciding which of their own players with expiring contracts have done enough to stick around. Having four Patriots players on this top 50 free agents list highlights key decisions ahead for the team. Balancing retention with acquisitions will be crucial as they navigate this rebuilding phase.
Kyle Dugger
Top 50 Rank: 25
Kyle Dugger came into New England with some pretty lofty expectations being the 37th overall pick in the draft. He started in seven games in his rookie season and then took a big jump in his second year. Dugger has developed his role within the defense each year on the roster, evolving into a very versatile player. In 2023 he saw an uptick in tackles and quarterback pressures – setting career-highs in both. This really showed just how effective he can be, not just in coverage.
SpoTrac has Dugger’s market value listed at $16.5 million per year, which is on the higher end for the safety position. With Jabrill Peppers coming back next year, and a decent draft class for safeties (this draft is deep at the position for the later rounds) there’s a chance they don’t want to cough up that much cash to keep him around. Dugger has excelled in this defensive scheme and his skillset has certainly benefited from being a part of this organization. In theory, that could cause him to want to stick around for a cheaper price tag.
Michael Onwenu
Top 50 Rank: 26
Michael Onwenu came out of nowhere for Patriots fans this season. Amidst troubles on the offensive line, he was thrust into the starting lineup, at first at the guard spot. He quickly made the switch to tackle and nearly instantly improved his performance. Onwenu was graded as a top-ten tackle from week nine through the end of the season by Pro Football Focus.
Given his standout performance at the position this year and Trent Brown’s likely departure in his own free agency, Onwenu is the one player on this list the Patriots need to stick around the most. Overall, the $13.6 million market value for Onwenu seems like a no-brainer, if that’s truly what it would take to keep him around. That would put him somewhere around the 27th highest-paid tackle in the NFL.
Trent Brown
Top 50 Rank: 41
The Patriots and Trent Brown seem to be on completely different pages right now. The tackle was made inactive for the final games of the season and since the season has ended, and has since made some not-so-great comments regarding the organization. Under the previous regime, there would’ve been no question about it; they would let Brown go to another team. After talking about the organization to outsiders, he likely wouldn’t have even gotten a contract offered to him.
Bill Belichick’s answer to why Trent Brown was a healthy scratch today:
“We activated the players we wanted to play.”
-OR-
“We activated the players who wanted to play.” pic.twitter.com/1IH16r8NAm
— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) December 31, 2023
The Patriots are now in the Jerod Mayo era and we’re all trying to figure out what’s going to be different as he continues to build this team in his vision. One thing we know for sure is Mayo is a “player’s coach”. Patriots owner, Robert Kraft, even mentioned this in the head coach’s introductory press conference. Considering this, Mayo might actively work to resolve the situation and persuade Brown to stay with the team for 2024 and beyond. At this point, it seems highly unlikely.
Josh Uche
Top 50 Rank: 47
Josh Uche remaining with the team past the trade deadline shocked many last season. The Patriots aren’t an organization known for overpaying; in fact, they’re much more known for the opposite. As shrewd operators when it comes to business, the Patriots rarely fall for exaggerated statistics. That’s what Uche’s 11.5 sacks in 2022 felt like. He was playing good football, but many in the Boston media wondered about his ability to replicate that type of production.
So far, they seem to have been right on the money with that. After having a similar number of snaps played in 2023, he declined in sacks, pressures, and total tackles. With the Patriots having a strong linebacking core returning for 2024, it’s hard to imagine the Patriots getting to the 8.3 million projected annual salary to keep him around.
Revamping the Roster
The only team that had more free agents make ESPN’s list of top 50 free agents was the Cincinnati Bengals, who had five. This really highlights the interesting predicament the Patriots have found themselves in. They’re trying to rebuild their roster the same offseason that key players are reaching the end of their contracts. Going through the offseason processes, we will undoubtedly learn much more about Jerod Mayo’s vision for this team. Which of these players he looks to keep around and which he chooses to let walk will say a lot about the attitude and direction the franchise is heading in. With massive draft capital and the third-highest projected cap space to work with, the Patriots are set to make some noise in the 2024 offseason.
Main Photo: Jamie Germano/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle-USA TODAY NETWORK
