The New England Patriots are aggressively conducting research in preparation for free agency, and Bill Belichick’s squad is focusing particularly on the wide receivers and linebackers, according to NFL Network’s Mike Giardi.
The Patriots are exploring their options with pending free agents and trade targets at wideout. They already expressed interest in Panthers receiver Robby Anderson, and they might just show interest in Cowboys wideout Amari Cooper. The free-agent receiver class includes a great number of options, from Allen Robinson to Isaiah McKenzie to Cedric Wilson.
At linebacker, New England just cut Kyle Van Noy to free up cap space, and the Patriots have not re-signed either of their starters and pending free agents, Dont’a Hightower and Ja’Whaun Bentley.
the other area that has drawn a lot of attention for the #Patriots is the LB position. I'm told they've identified a couple targets (this was pre-Bobby Wagner release) to supplement what's currently on the roster (i.e. not earth shakers, at least not as of a few days ago)
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) March 9, 2022
New England may have difficulties luring in top-end free agents considering the team has just $13.7 million in cap space, according to Roster Management. But the Patriots still have time to create more space. They could create more flexibility by extending some of their stars and cutting or trading some of their duds.
