German_Force » It will be tough for New England to add the veteran.

"The defensive tackle free agency market saw some movement yesterday. First Youth Irving Fryar Jerseys , the New England Patriots plugged Danny Shelton off it by adding him to a one-year contract. Shortly after the former first-round draft pick was re-signed by his former team, another highly selected interior defender hit the open market: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers decided to release six-time Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy in a cost-cutting move.McCoy spent all nine years of his career so far in Tampa, and will immediately become a highly sought-after free agency option given his résumé and experience. One team that immediately became linked to him? That would be the aforementioned Patriots, despite bringing Shelton back into the fold earlier that day. A story in the Tampa Bay Times is the reason for the speculation surrounding the world champions.In it, Buccaneers beat writer Rick Stroud wrote the following:How this ‘interest’ from the Patriots really looked like is speculation at this point, but one has to wonder whether or not the team would actually be willing to invest in a player like McCoy. Neither quality nor need would be a deal-breaker: while New England is pretty much set at the top of its defensive tackle depth chart with Lawrence Guy, Mike Pennel and Adam Butler as the current top-three, adding a player of McCoy’s caliber would tremendously upgrade the entire unit.However, the cost associated with such a move would likely be an issue. Yes, McCoy might ‘sacrifice salary,’ as Stroud put it, but this sacrifice would have to be a major one for him to fit under New England’s current salary cap: according to the Boston Sports Journal’s Miguel Benzan, the Patriots are only $3.4 million under the cap even without taking into account the recently reported two-year contract extensions for wide receiver Julian Edelman and special teamer Brandon King.The problem from the team’s perspective is that other clubs also categorized as ‘contenders’ are more financially flexible than New England. Take the Indianapolis Colts, who are almost $60 million under the cap (via OverTheCap.com) and are expected to be among the better teams in the AFC this season. Or the Cleveland Browns Irving Fryar Jerseys Stitched , who may not be a proven contender, but have plenty of talent and cap space.New England, on the other hand, would likely have to free up considerable space to compete with those teams for McCoy’s services. Could it happen? Certainly, considering the Patriots’ knack for signing veteran players below their perceived market value — luring them in with the outlook of playing for the most successful and consistent team of the salary cap era, and under the league’s best head coach — or structuring contracts to lessen the one-year impact of a deal.The club’s current financial position makes it unlikely in McCoy’s case, however. ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss also sees it this way (slightly adapted from Twitter-speak):Sure, the Patriots are the one team in the NFL to consistently pull surprises out of their hat. But considering all the circumstances and the market he is about to create, one should not expect the Patriots to competitively be in the running for McCoy this offseason. Now that the words have been written, of course, they will totally sign him to an infuriatingly cheap deal and help him win his first Super Bowl... Scharping could be the Patriots’ long term solution at left tackle or Marcus Cannon’s successor at right tackle."WhitePatriots News Opinion and Analysis Contribute! FanPostsFanShotsAbout the Site List of Patriots Twitter AccountsWrite For Pats Pulpit!New User Welcome and Commenting GuideCommunity GuidelinesMastheadTopics Patriots Off-Season CoveragePatriots Opinion/AnalysisPatriots NewsPatriots Draft CoverageSportfolio ManagementPatriots Opinion/AnalysisPatriots 2019 NFL Draft CoveragePatriots Off-Season CoverageTop 10 Patriots Fits #5: Northern Illinois OT Max ScharpingNew,18commentsScharping could be the Patriots’ long term solution at left tackle or Marcus Cannon’s successor at right tackle. EDTShareTweetShareShareTop 10 Patriots Fits #5: Northern Illinois OT Max ScharpingChuck Cook-USA TODAY SportsIf you are wondering why I skipped #6, there is already an excellent article on Deebo Samuel’s fit with the Patriots by Bernd. Instead what I’ll do is move onto my #5 fit for the Patriots in the draft with NIU OT Max Scharping. The Patriots have drafted a tackle in the first three rounds twice in the last two years, but both players have not played a single regular season snap to date. Antonio Garcia had an off-the-field health issue that led to him being released one year after getting drafted and Isaiah Wynn missed his rookie season with a ruptured Achilles tendon. The team does not a well-defined solution for the LT position going into the draft for the second straight year Infant Yodny Cajuste Jersey , although they figured out something last year by drafting Wynn and trading for Trent Brown on the first night of the draft. History may repeat itself again a year later.In the draft, the Patriots will likely miss out on Jonah Williams and Andre Dillard. The rest of the OT group, which is a much deeper class this year, should be up for grabs although we’ll likely see at least 4-5 of them taken before the Patriots go to the board.Combine DataHeight: 6’6”Weight: 327Arm: 33 5/8”40: DNP 225-lb Bench Press: 27 repsVertical: 28”Broad Jump: 9’0”5-10-5 Shuttle: 4.693-Cone: 7.77StrengthsExperience at both OT spots in college, 2 years at each spotAnchors well vs. bull rushStrong athletic traitsHigh football IQ4 year starter in collegeAlready at ideal size and strength to play right awayWeaknessesPass pro technique needs refinement, especially against speed rushersCompetition level is a small concern, played for a non-Power 5 schoolCould improve on sustaining run blocks and climbing to the 2nd levelReasons Why the Patriots Would Draft HimScharping profiles as your quintessential Patriots offensive lineman prospect. He’s a hard worker with good football IQ and athletic traits who just needs to work on his technique. Fortunately, the Patriots have the answer to that problem in the form of OL coach Dante Scarnecchia, who has turned even less talented OL into Pro Bowlers. For a small school prospect, he’s pretty close to NFL ready to start at either tackle spot. Even though the Patriots drafted Wynn last season, that should not stop the Patriots from picking up Scharping because if Wynn is able to make a full recovery, then the Patriots have 2 talented OTs on rookie contracts. Reasons Why the Patriots Would Not Draft HimBiggest reason for me would simply be the Patriots picking someone else, especially if a more NFL ready prospect who grades much higher falls into their draft range. Also given that Scharping is also almost a plug and play starter at a premier position in the NFL, 31 other teams will have some interest. I get the feeling if he’s not going to New England that he’s going to Green Bay. Who He Needs to Beat: Cedrick Lang Yodny Cajuste Jersey Draft , Dan Skipper, Cole CrostonThe Patriots will likely swing a trade for a veteran LT to start right away and allow Scharping to develop at his own pace. If the Patriots pull the trigger on him, there is really isn’t serious competition for him to claim a 53-man roster spot with three bottom-end roster guys/practice squad players he would have to beat out.Rookie Year ProjectionScharping ideally should be put in a position where he is not forced to start right away. The Patriots do have a question mark at LT and a longer concern at RT with Marcus Cannon now 31 years old. If he’s good enough to start right away, then I see no issues here. In the event he is not starting in Week 1, I’d like to see him play the 6th OL/3rd OT role at the goal line to get him some experience. The Patriots did that to develop Sebastian Vollmer, Nate Solder, and Cannon before putting them in the starting lineup.Long Term ProjectionScharping would be a starter at either tackle spot, depending on what goes on Wynn. If Wynn recovers from the injury and locks down the LT spot, then Scharping will eventually take over at RT for Cannon. Should Scharping somehow swoop in and win the starting LT job as a rookie, then that’s where he’ll be for 4 years with Wynn ending up at RT. Wynn will get the first opportunity to lock down the LT job between the two. Grade: 4/5 Future StarterScharping is a high-end 4 on the scale for me, as he’ll need a bit of time to develop without the pressure of being thrown into the fire early. The Patriots are one of the few teams that will be able to afford him that luxury barring injuries. He can already contribute as an extra blocker on the goal line while he works with Coach Scarnecchia with pass pro technique. Round: 2ndFirst round is a bit rich because he doesn’t have plug-and-play starter value like Wynn did a year ago. However, he should be a target on the team on Day 2, particularly in the 2nd round when looking for a guy who will develop into the starter by the end of his second training camp. Isaiah Wynn’s selection a year ago should not prevent the Patriots from taking Scharping because having two quality OL on rookie contracts is a great thing to have.