Top 5 free agent Offensive Linemen the Patriots could sign
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Unfortunately, this idea is contrasted with a less than ideal cap situation. While the unexpected jump in the salary cap helps, moving their cap space from $3.9 million to $12.7 million after the release of Steve Gregory, the Pats will likely be tight against the cap just after trying to resign it's own key free agents (Aqib Talib, Julian Edelman, LeGarrette Blount to name a few). It may take more cost cutting moves just to be able to supplement the roster.
With that in mind, lets take a look at the top offensive linemen the Patriots could be looking to sign in free agency. Aqib Talib and Julian Edelman have gotten most of the attention this offseason, but the Pats interior offensive line could see some major changes this year. Center Ryan Wendell, a 16 game starter each of the past two seasons, is a free agent, and the Patriots seem to be looking to upgrade from his struggles in pass protection. The logical in-house candidate to replace him is Dan Connolly, who played center for the team before moving to right guard, but the 32 year old Connolly could easily be a cap casualty, as his play hardly warrants his $4 million cap hit.
I personally think the Pats best course of action here would be to move Marcus Canon to guard, the position most projected him to play coming out of the draft, while looking to find a starting center in the draft. However, free agency is also obviously an option, be it to fill these needs or provide depth.
1. Evan Dietrich-Smith
If the Patriots do let Wendell walk, they'll obviously be looking for an upgrade, and with Cleveland's Alex Mack off the table, Dietrich-Smith might be the best option on the market. The former Packer came into the league in 2009 as an undrafted tackle, and was a versatile backup at both guard and tackle for his first three years. However, his career took off this year after switching to center, where he started all 16 games and submitted an excellent season for the Packers, earning a rock solid +14.2 grade from Profootballfocus.
The question for Dietrich-Smith is whether that excellent season will push him out of the Patriots price range. With Alex Mack hit with the transition tag, Dietrich-Smith and New Orleans' Brian de la Puente become the top two options on the market, and EDS is younger with higher upside. It also helps that he has the franchise quarterback on his side, as Aaron Rodgers recently quipped "I think you see that with Evan and I, the opportunity to play together for an extended period of time and that would be kind of a quarterback’s dream". With Green Bay $35 million under the cap, it would be surprising if the Pack don't retain EDS, although the Patriots could still try to make a run at him if they feel it's the most surefire way to upgrade the middle of their line.
2. Uche Nwaneri
The Jaguars made Nwaneri a cap casualty on Tuesday, saving $3.7 million in cap space in the process. However, play wasn't an issue for the soon-to-be 30 year old Nwaneri, who started 92 of his 104 games in Jacksonville since being drafted in the fifth round in 2007. His -0.3 grade in 2013 on Profootballfocus makes him their 12th highest graded guard on the market.
At his age, the market for Nwaneri will be significantly less robust than that for top options like Travelle Wharton, Geoff Schwartz or Jon Asamoah, but whoever signs Nwaneri will be getting solid starter at a reasonable price. The prospect of leaving the turmoil in Jacksonville for New England would have to appeal somewhat to Nwaneri, who's seen far more losing than winning in his pro career. He's also spent the past five seasons at right guard, meaning he could slide seamlessly into Connolly's old spot across from Logan Mankins on the left side.
3. Chad Rinehart
Rinehart's an interesting option because he's flashed real ability in the few opportunities he's gotten to start at guard. He was effective as a backup for his first two seasons before finally getting the chance to start with Buffalo in 2011, to which he responded with a +16.1 overall grade on PFF. Despite his play that season, Rinehart was relegated back to the bench in 2012, and would have to wait until signing with the Chargers in 2013 to get a chance to start again.
Rinehart's 2013 was slowed significantly by a Week Three toe injury that kept the guard out the next six weeks. However, he responded nicely, and submitted some solid play the rest of the way, including contributions to a dominant rushing performance in the playoffs against Cincinnati.
With relatively little starting experience under his belt, Rinehart is unlikely to command to much of a commitment, be it in years or guaranteed money, from his new team. While the Patriots would likely be looking for a bigger upgrade, Rinehart could be a relatively inexpensive depth option, with the ability to start in a pinch if needed.
4. Jonathan Goodwin
The Pats will likely be looking for a younger option capable of holding the starting center job down for multiple years, but if they find themselves needing a fill-in option they could do much worse than Goodwin. At 35, the massive former 49er is unlikely to get more than a one year commitment on the open market, but his +5.8 PFF grade for 2013 illustrates that he still has enough gas left in the tank to help a team.
Unfortunately the biggest concern with Goodwin is the same as with Wendell: pass protection. Goodwin has always been better in the running game than passing game, but his pass protection slipped noticeably in 2013. Of course, Goodwin has always been somewhat of an up-and-down player, and he could revert back to serviceable in that area this season.
At his age, Goodwin will likely have to wait it out while all the younger options get taken off the market. While I wouldn't expect him to be Plan A for the Patriots, he could turn into a Brian Waters-type veteran option to bring in last minute if injuries or inexperience create a sudden void at center.
5. Will Svitek
If the Pats do in fact move Canon to guard, it will create a glaring need for depth at both tackle positions, a need particularly troubling considering the injury histories of starters Sebastien Vollmer and Nate Solder (who's concussion history has flown under the radar but should be somewhat of a long-term concern).
If that's the case, the Pats would help themselves out by retaining the services of Svitek, a reliable veteran who's value is increased exponentially by his versatility. Svitek is a true swing tackle with starting experience at both sides of the line, and he even played a little at guard this preseason when injuries left the team short of bodies there. That versatility is key for a backup lineman, as most teams only carry three or four backups, necessitating that those players be able to fill in multiple roles. Svitek will be relatively inexpensive, is already familiar with the Pats playbook, and fills that versatile backup role perfectly. Retaining him should be a no brainer.
Honorable Mention: Mike Pollak, Brian Waters (in an emergency), Phil Costa, Fernando Velasco, Kevin Boothe
