With the fourth-most cap space in the league this offseason, the Patriots figure to be active in signing free agents, but who will they target?
With so many needs, it's a loaded question.
Appearing on “The Mina Kimes Show Featuring Lenny,” former Patriots defensive end Chris Long gave two names -- Bud Dupree (Steelers) and Carl Lawson (Bengals).
“I don’t know if (the Patriots would) ever spend the money on him, (but) I love Bud Dupree,” Long said, via NESN.com. “… I think a Bud Dupree is, when you look at a guy who can do multiple things — you look at Pittsburgh. He was such an engine for them. There’s not one thing that he does in the top five in the league, but he does so many things in the top 10, 15. And that’s what makes guys money and makes guys valuable in New England. …
“He’s not necessarily going to be the guy who wins a bunch of 1-on-1s … (but) Bud Dupree is going to do all your dirty work. He’s going to push the pocket. He’s going to go sideline to sideline. He’s going to be a tone-setter. He’s going to win some rushes, but that’s a total unknown. What’s his numbers going to look like without a T.J. Watt opposite him, in a different scheme?”
The 28-year-old did suffer a torn ACL late last season.
As for Lawson, the 25-year-old is hitting free agency for the first time.
“If you look at the year he had — and I know he’s had some ups and downs — he is so underrated,” Long said “The guy had, like, 30-something hits, like 60-something pressures. He is an absolute pocket-pushing, a-bunch-of-tools-in-the-toolbox kind of rusher that I think would do really well in New England. But I also think that might cost them, and they might say, ‘Well, maybe you’re not versatile enough for us to pay you $10 million.'”
Regardless of who they add, pass rush is an area Long believes the Patriots need to address.
“I do think they could use a little bit more investment in pass rush,” he said. “That doesn’t mean you’ve got to go out and get Yannick Ngakoue. Go out and get your Swiss Army knife who can rush and push the pocket. I think (Dupree and Lawson) are two guys that you might look at.”
