Things are about to get real for the New England Patriots and their league-high amount of cap space as free agency opens this week. With a large amount of player movement expected, Mike Vrabel will have his first chance to put his mark on this roster.
With that, welcome to the latest edition of our Sunday Patriots Notes.
Nickel spot
Entering a Week 5 bye week, the Philadelphia Eagles sat at 2-2 coming off a 33-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They were searching for answers on the defensive side of the football as they ranked 23rd in the NFL in points allowed, 27th in pass defense, 29th in yards allowed and 28th in takeaways over the first month of the season.
The answer? Inserting second-round draft pick Cooper DeJean, who missed portions of the offseason due to injury, into the nickel position.
From that point on the Eagles defense took off. They finished the rest of the season as the best defense in the NFL in almost every and any metric available as they suffered just one loss the remainder of the regular season.
DeJean was at the front of the turnaround, as not only his coverage ability and instincts were put on display but his physicality in the run game which allowed Philadelphia to live in nickel.
That success carried into the postseason where the Eagles went on to win the Super Bowl with DeJean in the middle of perhaps the biggest play of the game — a pick-six off Patrick Mahomes to extend the lead to 17-0.
Since Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel’s NFL coaching career began back in 2014, there’s been plenty of change in professional football. But the rise of importance in the nickel spot is one that stands out among the rest.
“Look how critical the nickel position has become and how dynamic that player can be,” Vrabel said at the NFL Combine last month. “You need guys that can cover, obviously, but the edges of the defense to be able to rush and affect the quarterback.”
At this point last year, the nickel position was perhaps still flying under the radar. It’s what allowed DeJean, a consensus first-round talent in the 2024 NFL Draft, to fall all the way to Philadelphia with the 40th overall pick. After the performance from the Eagles rookie, value may be harder to find this offseason at the position.
In Vrabel’s final seasons in Tennessee, his Titans defense predominantly lived in nickel looks. So, as the new head coach gets to work on remodeling New England’s roster over the upcoming weeks, that spot — which has primarily been held by Marcus Jones in Foxboro — could be part of the turnover.
The 5-foot-8, 188 pound Jones, who has finished each of the last two seasons on the injured reserve, checks in on the smaller side than what Vrabel and defensive coordinator Terrell Williams might prefer as they start to form the defense into their own.
An upgrade could then include splurging in free agency for Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy, who has flashed ample ball skills while playing both inside and out the past two seasons.
Options elsewhere could include a reunion with Jonathan Jones moving back to the slot or an eye to the draft — although potential top option Jahdae Barron seeing a DeJean-like fall out of the first-round is likely out of the picture. Moving off Marcus Jones immediately is not a forgone conclusion either with plenty of holes to fill elsewhere on the roster.
But no matter who fills the role for Vrabel moving forward, the asks will remain the same.
“We’re always going to adapt and adjust to and add when we feel like is important,” Vrabel said. “The fundamentals and the technique, our effort in which we play with, I think those will withstand the test of time regardless of what scheme you want to run.”
Internal free agent check in
Just over 24 hours away from the start of the legal tampering period on Monday at noon ET, the Patriots have nine unsigned free agents set to hit the market. That is headlined by UFA’s Jonathan Jones, Deatrich Wise, Austin Hooper, Jacoby Brissett, and Joey Slye.
Make sure to be following along with our Pats Pulpit Free Agency Tracker to stay up to date of every move during free agency.
Metcalf’s checklist
After requesting a trade from Seattle this past week, wide receiver D.K. Metcalf reportedly has three things he’s looking for in his next team, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
Those include, 1. Somewhere he can get paid, 2. Play somewhere warm, and 3. A stable quarterback situation.
What's the latest @DMRussini is hearing on DK Metcalf?
"There's a lot of teams interested, but after I put that (1st and a 3rd report) out, I started to get texts from those teams like, ‘Yeah, right. WAY too much.’…I don't think they land on that. I just think that for right… pic.twitter.com/Hk1mfPBA3j
— GoJo and Golic (@GoJoandGolic) March 6, 2025
With a league-high $130-plus million in cap space and Drake Maye, New England can certainly satisfy two-thirds of Metcalf’s desires. The location, which Metcalf has already been publicly vocal against, does not help the cause.
Center market
As noted in the Boston Herald, the center spot could be a “sleeper” position for the Patriots to target in free agency. With David Andrews’ future with the team and in football questionable after shoulder surgery and the new regime’s view on Cole Strange unknown, New England would be left with Ben Brown and Jake Andrews at center.
Falcons’ Drew Dalman is set to be the top option on the open market while Ryan Kelly is a veteran option who started just 10 games last year due to injuries. The Raiders additionally released Andre James on Friday who previously started in Vegas under Josh McDaniels.
QB carousel
The QB movement got underway on Friday as the Seahawks traded Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders for a third-round draft selection. Seattle now appears to be the front runner for free agent Sam Darnold, while reports link Daniel Jones and Aaron Rodgers to the Vikings (as well as the Colts and Giants, respectively) and Justin Fields to both the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets.
One team noticeably not linked to a veteran QB: the Cleveland Browns. Holding the No. 2 pick in the draft, it appears more and more likely they’ll target the position with that selection — continuing what we heard leaving the NFL Combine.
Hunter or Carter
Cleveland selecting Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders — with the Giants then selecting the other (perhaps after a trade up) atop the draft would be the best case scenario for the Patriots in the draft. That would lead to one of the top two consensus prospects, WR/CB Travis Hunter and Edge Abdul Carter, being on the board at No. 4.
“There’s a real chance that the Patriots land one of Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter at pick No. 4,” ESPN’s Field Yates said on CLNS’ Pre-Agency Party.
Drake’s appeal
Patriots Vice President of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf noted how quarterback Drake Maye will be apart of the team's pitch to free agents. Some players not even in the league yet have took note of the young quarterback, such as top wide receiver prospect Tet McMillan from Arizona.
When asked by CBS Sports at the Combine if McMillan would rather catch passes from Maye or last year’s No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, the receiver went with New England’s gunslinger.
“I just feel like Drake Maye would be a little somewhat different that I haven’t caught the ball from.”
Setting up the week ahead
Things are about to get busy for the Patriots as the negotiation window begins Monday at noon ET. Teams can start to agree on deals with free agents from other clubs — a period New England is expected to be both busy and aggressive in.
Agreed on deals — and potential trades — then become official on 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday at the start of the 2025 league year.