{"id":60589,"date":"2019-03-08T18:17:07","date_gmt":"2019-03-08T23:17:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=60589"},"modified":"2019-03-08T18:31:07","modified_gmt":"2019-03-08T23:31:07","slug":"new-england-patriots-outsmart-everyone-with-michael-bennett-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2019\/03\/08\/new-england-patriots-outsmart-everyone-with-michael-bennett-trade\/","title":{"rendered":"New England Patriots Outsmart Everyone With Michael Bennett Trade"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bill Belichick <\/strong>has done it again. On Friday afternoon, the New England Patriots<\/a> swung a trade for Philadelphia Eagles<\/a> defensive lineman Michael Bennett<\/a><\/strong>. Bennett, a 10-year NFL veteran, is one of the better edge defenders in the league and comes at a bargain rate. With Trey Flowers<\/a><\/strong> likely out the door<\/a>, Belichick found a way to get a cost-effective replacement while actually improving New England’s overall draft stock.<\/p>\n

New England Patriots Rob Philadelphia Eagles, League Blind in Michael Bennett Trade<\/h1>\n

The Patriots needed to find another difference maker along the defensive line, as their best player is about to land a gigantic contract. Trey Flowers is easily the top free agent defensive lineman and will likely command a deal averaging $14-17 million<\/a> per season. If a bidding war ensues, it\u2019s not crazy to imagine Flowers getting even more than $17 million per year.<\/p>\n

New England will still try to bring Flowers back, but they were never going to break the bank for him. Knowing they needed to find a replacement, they targeted a team that had every motivation to sell low. The Eagles are facing a financial nightmare, as they were over 2019\u2019s salary cap just a few weeks ago. Philadelphia needed to open up cap space for the start of the league year, and Bill Belichick knew that they\u2019d be willing to part ways with a player like Bennett for far less than he\u2019s worth.<\/p>\n

Trey Flowers may be younger, but Bennett and Flowers are roughly the same caliber of player. According to Pro Football Focus, Flowers finished 2018 as the sixth-best edge defender in football. Bennett wasn\u2019t quite as good, but he still ended the year as the 26th<\/sup>-ranked edge defender. Flowers is slightly better, but both players are strong starters who can carry a defensive line.<\/p>\n

In terms of statistical production, Bennett actually has Flowers beat. Since 2016, Bennett has recorded 22.5 sacks, 73 quarterback hits, and 43 tackles-for-loss. Flowers, meanwhile, has recorded 21 sacks, 59 quarterback hits, and 25 tackles-for-loss. Stats aren\u2019t everything, and the film shows that Flowers is a marginally better player. However, the fact of the matter is that Bennett has the ability to replicate the majority of what Flowers brings to a defense.<\/p>\n

The Fantastic Value<\/h2>\n

For the sake of this exercise, let\u2019s assume that the Patriots lose Flowers in free agency and effectively replace him with Bennett. If that\u2019s the case, then New England essentially got a player who can do roughly 85-90% of what Flowers can do for a late-round pick swap. The Patriots gave up their 2020 fifth-round pick but also received Philadelphia\u2019s 2020 seventh-round pick.<\/p>\n

This ultimately amounts to losing absolutely nothing. The NFL Draft, by and large, is nothing more than a glorified guessing game. Earlier picks have a higher chance of success, but that trend stops by the later rounds of the NFL Draft. By the time the fifth round rolls around, all of the \u201cknown commodities\u201d are completely gone. At this point, drafting is basically akin to throwing darts at a board, and the numbers back that up. According to Rich Hill<\/strong> of Pats Pulpit<\/em>, there is zero difference in projected value from picks 185 to the end of the draft. Essentially, the Patriots got Bennett for free.<\/p>\n

\n

Projected NFL value by draft selection. pic.twitter.com\/3GjtpNDmax<\/a><\/p>\n

— Rich Hill (@PP_Rich_Hill) May 8, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n