#NEW ENGLAND MOVES FOR FREE#
#NEW ENGLAND MOVES PRO#

Strange could end up having a fine NFL career. And the Patriots have had success selecting interior linemen in the mid-to-late rounds in the past, with their sixth-round selection of guard Michael Onwenu being a recent example. Going off the salary teams spend at respective positions, those three positions are far more valuable than guard. The other being that the Patriots had other pressing needs at linebacker (more on that shortly), receiver, and cornerback entering the draft. It appeared the Patriots overdrafted Strange by a lot as the Rams, who didn’t pick late until the third round, were stunned by the selection.

That’s why when the Patriots selected Cole Strange, a guard out of Chattanooga, it was viewed as the biggest surprise of Day 1 in the NFL Draft by league executives, according to PFF’s Doug Kyed. With Johnson and Texas A&M’s Kenyon Green well off the board, there weren’t any other guards who were viewed by draft experts as “first-round quality” prospects. New England decided to move down to pick No. However, the Chargers selected Johnson four picks prior to when the Patriots would be on the clock at 21. Several draft experts them linked to Boston College guard Zion Johnson with their first-round pick. Heading into the draft, it was obvious the Patriots needed a guard. But they let him walk to the Bengals, leaving the Patriots with a hole at guard.

#NEW ENGLAND MOVES PRO#

The Patriots could’ve re-signed guard Ted Karras, who had a standout season in 2021, per Pro Football Focus. The trade looked like a win for New England at the time, even though it gave up a quality starter because it gave the team much-need cap space and a mid-round pick. When the Patriots shipped off Mason to the Buccaneers in March, they cleared nearly $7 million in cap space and gained a fourth-round pick. Trading Shaq Mason only to draft Cole Strange with their first-round pick.

#NEW ENGLAND MOVES FOR FREE#

Watch NFL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial) Patriots’ 3 Worst Offseason Movesģ. Here are the three worst moves the Patriots made this offseason: Because of that, the worst moves by the Patriots weren’t necessarily ones they made – it was the ones they didn’t make. Of course, all the signings the Patriots made in 2021 meant they wouldn’t have as much cap space to play with in 2022. As a matter of fact, all the contracts the Patriots handed out this offseason were for no more than two years, spending just $26.9 million in guaranteed money after a record-setting spending spree in 2021. New England didn’t sign any Pro Bowlers in their prime, like Matthew Judon a year prior, or any up-and-comers, such as a Kendrick Bourne type of player. The Patriots’ 2022 offseason was a quiet one, especially compared to 2021.

New england moves