The New England Patriots have had a decent start to NFL Free Agency. Retaining some of their own players, and adding some depth pieces, but could they look to make a large splash? Recently released safety Justin Simmons is a player that comes to mind. By adding a veteran playmaker to their secondary, the Patriots could help solidify themselves as a top ten defense. Simmons is an experienced veteran with great instincts, and would be a great addition to an already fierce New England defense.
Simmons could be a great presence to have on the field, not just for his skills, but also for his leadership and ability to command a defense. At thirty years old, Simmons has plenty of experience and could be a great leader in Foxboro. The Patriots have plenty enforcing strong safeties such as Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger, but they have needed somebody to fill that free safety role since Devin McCourty retired. Simmons could fit in perfectly to this defense, and have an immediate impact.
With all the weapons New England has on defense, the addition of Simmons will surely create nightmares for opposing offenses. Having a veteran presence commanding the defense from the free safety position, is something that the Foxboro Faithful can be excited about.
The ultimate question for the Patriots is, will Eliot Wolf be willing to spend big on a defensive player when the offense needs so much work? With a player like Simmons, Wolf should be willing to spend a decent amount to get such an important position locked up for the next two to three years. Especially since this year’s NFL Draft is so rich with offensive talent.
With the high picks that New England has this year, they will be able to add plenty of talent to the offensive side of the ball when the Draft rolls around in April. The Patriots still have plenty of cap space, and should look to add some more high end talent to the defensive side of the ball, putting them in prime position to focus fully on the offense in the Draft.
How will this effect the Patriots safety room?
The Patriots have some great playmakers at the safety position, such as Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger. But Dugger plays strong safety, and Peppers is a strong safety, linebacker hybrid type of player. Adding a true free safety in Simmons, would only strengthen the secondary as a whole.
Being able to rotate strong safeties like Dugger and Peppers, while keeping the veteran command of Simmons on the field, could be incredibly valuable for the New England defense. Fans of the Patriots organization should keep an eye on the movement of Simmons in the next few days to see how involved the Patriots front office is with his future contract.