The New England Patriots have a big need at cornerback after Aqib Talib signed with the Denver Broncos and now a Darrelle Revis trade could be possible, while Tarell Brown, Antonio Cromartie, Brandon Browner, Tracy Porter and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie are all free agent options for the team.
According to ESPN.com, the Broncos signed Talib and now the Patriots are scrambling for an option at cornerback and while a Revis trade could be tough, they may try to pull it off and if he is released, they will go after him hard. Past cornerback, the team also has needs at wide receiver with Julian Edelman on the market. The New England Patriots are heading into the 2014 offseason with some interesting avenues they can take and wide receiver could be a focus for Bill Belichick, with names like Jason Avant, Sidney Rice, James Jones, Emmanuel Sanders, Golden Tate and Jacoby Jones as potential targets.
The Patriots dealt with injuries to Danny Amendola and Rob Gronkowski last season and while the Wes Welker loss didn't hurt as much as it could have with Julian Edelman stepping up, the team could end up losing him this offseason as well. Amendola has been mentioned in trade rumors, with CBS Sports reporting that the Patriots have shopped him around to a couple teams and with Edelman hitting free agency, the Patriots may have to restock at the position.
Tom Brady started to get more comfortable with developing receivers Josh Boyce, Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins, but if the team loses Edelman they will need to add some type of veteran and players like Tate, Jones, Avant and Rice could be potential options on the market. The Patriots usually do a good job with chapter veterans and both Rice and Avant could fit into their plans even if they keep Edelman, who had over 100 receptions while stepping in for Welker and Amendola.
ESPN.com reported Mike Reiss looked at the idea of the Patriots kicking the tires on Avant and he said that his leadership abilities could be something the team would like with their young receivers and could fit in as a possession guy. Avent could not cost any compensatory picks and the quotes he got from players and the Eagles organization after being released confirms he's a high class player.
Sidney Rice was released by the Seahawks and he fits into the same Avant category and if he remains on the market and shows he is healthy, he could be an excellent option. Rice has size and good hands and he could be a target in the red zone. Edelman is coming off of a surprising 105 catch season and the Patriots will work on bringing him back, while Thompkins played in nearly 50 percent of the snaps and had over 30 catches, while Dobson had 42 while playing in 12 games. All the young receivers got experience last season and even if Edelman doesn't return, adding a veteran would be a wise move and likely wouldn't cost much.