Quietly, New England has put together a great offseason and addressed se veral needs. Through the draft, playmakers like wide receiver Taylor Price and tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez were added.
Because of that, the Patriots don't have a lot of big needs. Regardless, here they are in no particular order:
Outside linebacker: New England has a bunch of players for the two outside spots but only Tully Banta-Cain is proven. Considering Banta-Cain is only above-average, this is a big-time need for the team. Shawn Crable has potential for the position but is always injured. Derrick Burgess has really regressed of late. Jermaine Cunningham and Pierre Woods are unproven.
New England Patriots team needs
Guard:
has made his feelings known that he wants out of New England. Even if something is worked out with the Pro Bowl guard,
opposite him is a free agent following the season.
can replace Mankins, but he’s not the ideal starter there.
Running back: New England got by decent enough last season with a combination of Lawrence Maroney,
,
and ageless third-down wonder
. Maroney is the team’s lead back and has been average. Taylor’s days are coming to an end and Morris splits time between fullback and tailback.
is intriguing, but more of a special teams contributor.
Defensive end: Four new players,
,
,
and
, were added to the defensive line this offseason. But none of them are as good as the departed
. In fact, the team still hasn’t done a sufficient job replacing
. With the influx of 3-4 ends in the 2011 NFL Draft, this could be a position New England targets
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