COMMENTARY
For the cash-strapped Patriots, such an announcement was a fortuitous occasion, considering the income cap gymnastics they would have needed to perform to develop some more wiggle space underneath the cap for the 2020 season. Now, according to Patriots cap expert Miguel Benzan, the group has $7,794,739 in cap space to deal with.
The following are some concepts for how New England can leverage its newfound financial flexibility to enhance its team for 2020.
For a group that needed to wait for Cam Newton to dramatically minimize his asking price before they could pay for to bring him onboard, having almost $8 million in cap area now provides the Patriots the capability to sign a veteran complimentary agent, or swing a trade for a gamer who might help the team in 2020. Additionally, they might choose to stand pat and do nothing.
The Patriots got an unanticipated little good news last week, getting a wage cap credit of $6.55 million as an outcome of settling outstanding payment grievances with ex-Patriot Antonio Brown and the estate of the late Aaron Hernandez.
Sign Jadeveon Clowney
According to NFL Networks Ian Rapoport, nevertheless, such a relocation is considered not likely, due to the fact that in Rapoports words, “I think Clowney would much like to make a lot of cash. […] I dont think he would take simply a brief, small offer from the Patriots.”
The last time New England pressed all of its chips in the middle of the table to go all in for a season was in 2014, when it signed cornerback Darrelle Revis to an one-year, $12 million handle an alternative for a second year at $20 million. It worked out pretty well, to put it mildly, as Revis assisted raise the Patriots defense to an elite level, and was a crucial piece of 2014s Super Bowl-winning team.
Including Clowney for one year would likely need some cap maneuvering still, however with $7.9 million to work with now, the Patriots can offer the former Seattle Seahawk the opportunity to learn under Bill Belichick for a year, and be put in the very best position to succeed on the field, at a modest income level for a gamer of his quality. A productive 2020 might help reset Clowneys market and put him in a better position to money in 2021.
With every day that passes with totally free representative edge defender Jadeveon Clowney on the free market, the possibility of Clowney taking a one year “show it”- type handle a competitor to re-establish his market price becomes significantly likely.
Clowney is the sort of hybrid edge rusher who would create chaos in New Englands protective plan, comparable to what Chandler Jones did when he was with the Patriots. With his combination of length and power, Clowney is a force against the run as well as the pass, and might be used like a chess piece by Belichick, lining up in a number of positions on the protective line as a Patriot.
Clowneys presence would enable Winovich to slot back in as a situational pass rush, the role he succeeded in as a rookie, and would provide some much-needed oomph on the New England D-line.
The Patriots lack a real risk on the edges of their defense right now from a pass-rushing point of view. Chase Winovich, who revealed guarantee as a novice, and veteran edge defender John Simon are the most likely beginners, and are certainly no slouches as pass-rushers, however the Patriots defense lacks a real game-changer on its defensive line. While the New England secondary is still one of the finest in the league, the defensive line might utilize a boost.
Indication Tim Jernigan
Jernigan, 27, had a deal with the Texans fail earlier this offseason, after spending the last three seasons as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. While likewise on the smaller sized side for his position, like Butler, at 6-feet-2-inches, 295 pounds, Jernigan has some versatility and would enhance the teams depth at defensive take on.
Every NFL season brings with it unpredictability in lots of forms. Players could reveal indications of decrease, or get hurt, and team defects that werent apparent in training camp might need to be addressed in-season.
Yes, the Patriots selected two tight ends in this years NFL Draft, however Belichick has a propensity for trading for talented gamers when their worth is at a low point, and Njoku certainly fits that classification, having played simply 99 offensive snaps over 4 games in 2019 due to an injured wrist.
The Patriots are still thin at protective deal with heading into 2020. Lawrence Guy is still one of the better defensive takes on in the NFL, however after that, the team has Beau Allen, who was signed to replace Danny Shelton, Adam Butler, a small gamer for his position, and a collection of unproven players behind them.
Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku.– AP.
Trade for David Njoku.
As a member of the 2017 Eagles group that won the Super Bowl, Jernigan began 15 games, registering 34 deals with, 18 quarterback pressures, and 2.5 sacks in 492 snaps. He suffered a damaged foot in 2019, triggering him to miss 6 video games, which led to a decline in production, only making 10 takes on and two sacks.
Despite being the least amusing of the alternatives at the groups disposal, the most intelligent thing to do, specifically with the league finances looking unstable due to financial impacts from the coronavirus, is to bring the cap area into the season.
For a team that is lacking red zone targets for whoever begins at quarterback, Njoku would assist considerably in that area. Still simply 24 years of ages, the 6-foot-4-inch, 247-pound tight end runs well for his size and has great hands. He would immediately end up being the top choice on the depth chart at the tight end position for New England, and his existence would assist novice tight ends Dalton Keene and Devin Asiasi find out and establish at a more sensible pace in 2020.
Chase Winovich, who revealed promise as a novice, and veteran edge protector John Simon are the most likely beginners, and are certainly no slouches as pass-rushers, but the Patriots defense does not have a real game-changer on its defensive line. For a group that is doing not have red zone targets for whoever begins at quarterback, Njoku would help considerably in that location. Unpredictability over how severely the leagues earnings will be affected by the coronavirus will lead to lots of teams needing to make difficult financial choices in 2020 and beyond. While the Patriots will be flush with cap space heading into 2021 (although the specific amount depends on how the cap is affected by declines in earnings throughout the 2020 season), there is a chance that the cap for 2020 could still be impacted, if reports from Friday that the NFL proposed a $40 million decrease in the 2020 income cap are true. This gives even more reason to stand pat and not make any moves to prepare for the financial hits that the league and its groups will quickly be taking on.
If the group remains in contention at the midseason point, it could make good sense to swing a trade for an offensive weapon to help down the stretch. If so, any upgrade would not likely come cheap, and the team ought to maintain a financial buffer to enable itself some flexibility if such a requirement develops.
The likeliest scenario, and the most fiscally conservative choice, is to stand by and make no relocations with their newly found money circulation.
Sit tight.
Houston initially signed Jernigan for one year at $3.75 million this offseason. With Jernigan still unsigned this late in the offseason, New England might look to sign him for even less to reinforce its protective line.
Unpredictability over how badly the leagues income will be impacted by the coronavirus will lead to many teams needing to make challenging monetary choices in 2020 and beyond. While the Patriots will be flush with cap area heading into 2021 (although the specific amount depends upon how the cap is affected by decreases in income throughout the 2020 season), there is a possibility that the cap for 2020 could still be impacted, if reports from Friday that the NFL proposed a $40 million reduction in the 2020 wage cap are true. This provides a lot more factor to stand pat and not make any transfer to prepare for the economic hits that the league and its teams will soon be taking on.
