The New England Patriots have placed a franchise tag on offensive lineman Joe Thuney, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Thuney was getting set to be one of the top offensive linemen on the free-agent market.
Rapoport notes that the Patriots could trade Thuney.
Thuney, who played his collegiate football at North Carolina State, was originally selected by New England in the third round (78th pick overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.
The 27-year-old immediately started every game for the Pats during his rookie campaign, playing left guard.
While Thuney has yet to make a Pro Bowl appearance, he has been one of the league's most consistent offensive linemen since being drafted and is capable of playing multiple positions along the line, making him a very valuable commodity.
In addition to Thuney's versatility, he is also incredibly durable, as he has never missed a game in his NFL career.
The Patriots are entering free agency full of question marks.
While they appear to have solved one issue by tagging Thuney, they have much bigger fish to fry, as they currently have no idea who will be manning the quarterback position for them in 2020.
Tom Brady is set to hit the open market, and there is a growing feeling that the future Hall-of-Famer could end up leaving New England in free agency.
And even if the Pats do manage to re-sign Brady, they have numerous holes to fix, especially on offense, as the Patriots have one of the NFL's worst groups of pass-catchers.
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