Dwight Freeney is one of the biggest free agents to be available on March 12. The defensive end will not be returning to the Indianapolis Colts and there are plenty of teams in need of his pass rushing abilities. The New England Patriots have a great start on defense with Rob Ninkovich and Chandler Jones, but could use Freeney as a big presence in the front seven. The Patriots are reportedly in the mix to land the veteran.
Greg Bedard of The Boston Globe reports the position the Patriots have been most associated with in free agency is a defensive end. The team showed interested in Cincinnati defensive end Michael Johnson, but the team decided to place the franchise tag on him, making Johnson unavailable for the year.
The Patriots could get Freeney for much less money than Johnson. Financialy it makes more sense for the Patriots to go after an aging veteran like Freeney or John Abraham who was recently let go by the Atlanta Falcons. They can sign them for much less money.
Freeney would work in the Patriots defensive system. While he has been inconsistent in numbers over the past two seasons, he has had great success as a pass-rusher, something New England needs. The Patriots could continue to run a four-man defensive line. In the right circumstance, Freeney could produce double-digit numbers in sack totals again.
In 2012, Freeney did not produce what is normally expected of him. He garnered only five sacks and 10 tackles total. He has 107.5 sacks in his career, along with 44 forced fumbles. At 33, Freeney will not have that many years left in the league. The Patriots could sign him to a low cost contract and possibly get high reward if Freeney ends up fitting into their system.
The Atlanta Falcons have also been said to be in the mix for Freeney. Having just released Abraham, they need a big defensive presence. Abraham and Freeney are essentially the same player, so if the Falcons' intentions are to get younger, Freeney is not the player for them.
