The New England Patriots suffered a brutal blow with the departure of Tom Brady to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On Friday morning, the move became official and a new era began for the Patriots. Despite the loss of their longtime superstar quarterback, the Patriots still need to go out and get some work done in free agency.
While we have no clue who the starting quarterback will be in 2020 for New England, the Patriots need to make sure to surround that quarterback with more talent. At this point in time, Julian Edelman and N'Keal Harry are the only real weapons the Patriots have. Thankfully, there are still some big-time talents available in free agency.
Bill Belichick will have no interest in taking a step back and rebuilding. He will do everything in their power to keep the team in serious competition.
Looking at the rest of the free agents available, there are three players who would make absolute sense for them. If New England truly does want to compete moving forward, they should look to sign these three guys.
Let's take a look at the three offensive players the Patriots should target in free agency.
3. Breshad Perriman, Wide Receiver, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
One potential wide receiver that the Patriots could target to be a lethal weapon for their next quarterback would be Breshad Perriman. He put together a big season in 2019 with Jameis Winston, showing off his ability to be a top-notch deep threat.
During the 2019 season with the Buccaneers, Perriman caught 36 passes for 645 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged 17.9 yards per reception, which shows off his ability to be a lethal deep threat. New England would offer Perriman a very intriguing offensive system for his skill-set to be utilized.
Whether the Patriots go out and acquire a guy like Andy Dalton or Jacoby Brissett, or they simply give Jarrett Stidham a chance, Perriman could be an important weapon. Having a guy that a quarterback can just air the ball out to can be a major positive.
2. Eric Ebron, Tight End, Indianapolis Colts
Rob Gronkowski isn't walking back through the door for the Patriots. Since his retirement, the team has had no success at the tight end position. They can turn that around with the signing of Colts' free agent Eric Ebron this offseason.
Granted, there are concerns about Ebron after he had a down season with Indianapolis in 2019. However, there are reasons for his lack of production. The return of Jack Doyle and the retirement of Andrew Luck would mess with any tight end.
Back in 2018, Ebron showed off star potential with 66 receptions for 750 yards and 13 touchdowns. There is no denying the talent that Ebron possesses and the fact that he is 6-foot-4 and 253 pounds with elite speed and athleticism for a guy his size. If he can minimize the drop issues that he has had throughout his career, Ebron could be a massive playmaker for the new-look New England offense.
1. Robby Anderson, Wide Receiver, New York Jets
The Patriots should do whatever they can to sign wide receiver Robby Anderson to a long-term deal. If there is one wide receiver the team could bring in and look to as a major impact player, it would be Anderson. New England will have quite a bit of competition to sign Anderson if they choose to go that route.
Anderson is coming off of a 2019 season that saw him catch 52 passes for 779 yards and five touchdowns. He has been a productive wideout each season he has played in the NFL.
Moving on from the Jets would be a tough decision, but playing for the Patriots is always intriguing. Even without Tom Brady, Anderson would have to be interested in playing for Belichick. This would be the best possible move that New England could make in free agency.
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