This week saw a mass exodus of high-profile free agents from Foxboro. By the time the NFL league year opened Wednesday afternoon, the Patriots already reportedly had lost four players to other teams: wide receiver Danny Amendola to the Miami Dolphins, offensive tackle Nate Solder to the New York Giants, and cornerback Malcolm Butler and running back Dion Lewis to the Tennessee Titans. After posting a heartfelt farewell message to Amendola on Instagram on Tuesday, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady took to social media again Wednesday to pay tribute to Solder, Butler and Lewis, whom he called his “brothers for life.”Butler commented on Brady’s post, writing, “Forev... NESN.com
Tag: patriots
Patriots Pre-Free Agency Depth Chart Shows Biggest Areas Of Need
NFL teams can begin legally tampering with free agents starting Monday at noon. That should give the New England Patriots a better sense of which players they’ll be able to bring back in free agency. Before the craziness starts, let’s take a look at the Patriots’ depth chart excluding their 13 unrestricted free agents to see how the team looks heading into the offseason. QUARTERBACKStarter: Tom Brady Reserves: Brian HoyerThe Patriots need a developmental quarterback to serve as Brady’s eventual successor. That player should be drafted in the first three rounds of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Patriots Free Agency: What’s Next For Malcolm Butler After Super Bowl Benching?
by Zack Cox on Mon, Feb 19, 2018 at 10:42AM 1,318 Next up in our New England Patriots free agent profile series: cornerback Malcolm Butler. It’s time to accept that we may never hear the full story behind Butler’s Super Bowl LII benching, which still makes little sense more than two weeks later. After playing the most defensive snaps of any Patriots player during the regular season — more than 97 percent — Butler did not see the fie... NESN.com
Young Patriots Who Could Make Bigger Impact In 2018 Than Last Season
It’s Feb. 13, and we’re writing about Cole Croston. This is what happens when the New England Patriots don’t win the Super Bowl. Seriously though, there are many players who didn’t make much of an impact on the Patriots in 2017 who could see much greater roles next season and beyond. Let’s highlight 15 players to keep an eye on throughout the offseason as the Patriots build their roster. RB MIKE GILLISLEEGillislee found himself buried on the depth chart behind Dion Lewis, Rex Burkhead and James White in 2017. Lewis and Burkhead are free agents now, however, while Gillislee is signed through the 2018 season. If the Pat... NESN.com
Patriots’ Marquis Flowers Fires Back At Critics Of His Play In Super Bowl LII
The New England Patriots weren’t able to capture their sixth Super Bowl title, and one member of the Patriots’ much-maligned defense is sick of the blame game. Linebacker Marquis Flowers, who tallied one combined tackle in New England’s Super Bowl LII loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, went on a tweet storm Monday in which he fired a shot at Eagles tackle Lane Johnson, as well as local Boston media who called him out as part of the Patriots’ problem in their Super Bowl defeat. Yikes. Flowers’ anger is understandable. New England’s defense was shredded by Nick Foles and the Eagles’ offense, giving up 538 yards with cornerback Ma... NESN.com
NFL Rumors: Patriots Expected To Retain Joe Judge As Special Teams Coach
by Zack Cox on Thu, Feb 8, 2018 at 10:40PM 1,577 The New England Patriots had some of the NFL’s best special teams units this season, and the man in charge of them is expected to return in 2018. The Patriots and special teams coach Joe Judge are in the process of finalizing a new contract, a league source told ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss on Thursday. Judge, who has been with New England since 2012 and in his current role since 2015, was expecte... NESN.com
NFL Rumors: Malcolm Butler Benching ‘Divided’ Patriots Locker Room
Bill Belichick’s decision to bench cornerback Malcolm Butler in Super Bowl LII will be one of the most talked about storylines of the NFL offseason, and it could be one with far-reaching ramifications for the New England Patriots. An earlier report Monday suggested that Butler’s benching in the Patriots’ 41-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles was a “perfect storm of issues,” with his illness, poor play and a missed curfew playing a role. However, a different report from WEEI’s Kirk Minihane suggests that Belichick’s decision was not a disciplinary action, and that his decision was sudden and had a severe impact on New England’s locker... NESN.com