Patriots Bring Back Longtime C Dan Koppen

Talking with the Boston Herald earlier this month, Koppen sounded as if he was prepared to move on from the Patriots.

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Carpenter has 165 tackles in his NFL career, including 3.5 sacks and has one career interception. The Patriots are hoping that the six-year veteran can add some depth to their linebacking corps in the coming season.

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Ochocinco earned nearly $6 million last season to catch just 15 passes for 276 yards and a touchdown. He has reportedly agreed to lower his $3 million base salary to $1 million, eliminating any financial motives the Pats might have to release him.

On the surface at least, Ochocinco doesn’t appear to be pushing back against the organization. The Patriots asked the veteran wideout to restructure his two-year deal back in February. His quotes this offseason have mostly centered on getting better acclimated with the playbook so he can make a bigger contribution next season.

Branch started his career in New England and he very well could be ending it in New England. The 33-year old receiver caught 51 balls for 705 yards last season, along with five touchdowns.

For his career, Branch has 502 receptions for 6,499 yards and 39 touchdowns.

The details of the restructure, per McIntyre:

The final result is taking Brady’s 2012 cap number from $15.2 million to $8 million for a cap savings of $7.2 million. Brady doesn’t receive any less money, or anything like that. It’s just restructuring the accounting of that money to give the Pats more salary cap space.

Bill Belichick was reportedly high on Gallery as a tackle when he entered the NFL Draft out of Iowa. Gallery has since moved to the interior and will turn 32 before the start of the season.

For more on the Patriots free agency, stay tuned to this regularly update StoryStream. Be sure to check out the SB Nation blog Pats Pulpit as well.

For more on the Patriots, head over to the SB Nation blog Pats Pulpit.

For all news and analysis on the Patriots, visit Pats Pulpit and SB Nation Boston.

While the Gonzalez signing simply prolongs the Brandon Lloyd-Josh McDaniels reunion, that deal appears to be moving in the right direction and would surely draw a rousing response from fans once it’s complete.

Gonzalez is not guaranteed a roster spot. With a number of slot and middle-of-the-field receiver already solidified on the Patriots’ depth chart, there will be plenty of competition for Gonzalez, if not limited room for him.

Versatility is the key with Gregory, who can play safety and cornerback. He spent the first six years of his career with the Chargers, making 13 starts last season. He’ll be able to contribute quickly in Bill Belichick’s defense.

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For more free agency updates, go to SB Nation’s Patriots blog, Pats Pulpit. And for more on Boston sports, check out SB Nation Boston.

So what’s the hold up?

Lloyd is one of the top free-agent receivers, so he could be making a pretty penny in free agency. The Boston Herald reported Lloyd had told other Patriots players that his contractual demands would be “reasonable.” Lloyd has made it clear he wants to play for Josh McDaniels again, so I wonder if he will take less money to join New England.

The Patriots will also be looking to add to the secondary in free agency.

As the Boston Globe’s Greg Bedard points out, you have to wonder what Bengals fans are thinking when they’re among the league leaders in cap space.

Landry, if healthy, would be a major boost to the Patriots secondary. The problem with Landry is that he hasn’t been healthy lately. He’s played in just 17 games the last two seasons due to injury. He’s one of the league’s top safeties when he is healthy but teams will definitely be worried about him staying on the field.

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Green-Ellis was originally an undrafted free agent in 2008 and, believe it or not, he has never fumbled. Not once. That’s a pretty incredible statistic for a guy who’s been in the league for four years. He also has 24 rushing touchdowns in the last two seasons. His career best rushing yardage came in 2010 when he surpassed the 1,000 yard mark.

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According to the San Diego Union Tribune, Gregory is visiting the Patriots.

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Now another report has come out connecting Lloyd to the Patriots. According to the Boston Herald, Lloyd has told other Patriots players that he will have “reasonable” contractual demands. Rapoport believes a Lloyd signing could come quickly.

The Patriots need for a top receiver is no secret. That’s something they struggled with throughout the 2011 season, despite having one of the best passing attacks in the game (those tight ends don’t hurt).

The second round level of the tender is an interesting one because that’s low enough that another team very well could come in and give up a second round pick for Hoyer. Another team can offer him a contract, and if the Patriots decline to match it, they give up Hoyer but receive a second round pick in return. But the Patriots will have a right to match any offer he receives, so they really control his rights.

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Green-Ellis ran for 1,008 yards in 2010, but his numbers dropped in 2011 with 667 yards on just 181 carries. Green-Ellis has been a reliable player for the Patriots, doing a little bit of everything on offense, but one thing he’s never done is fumbled the football during his NFL career. Green-Ellis might not be a feature back, but he will be a hot commodity for a team looking to utilize a running back by committee offense.

For more free agency updates, go to SB Nation’s Patriots blog, Pats Pulpit.

For more free agency updates, go to SB Nation’s Patriots blog, Pats Pulpit.

Lloyd says winning is the highest priority for him in free agency. He also has a very strong relationship with Pats offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and is on record saying he would like to play for him again.

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Welker is among the obvious franchise tag guys. He’s an integral part of New England’s highly successful offense and at 30 years old he still has several productive seasons ahead of him. This is an easy decision for New England.

The Patriots will have until July 15 to sign him to a long-term deal and, if they don’t, Welker will have to play the season under the estimated $9.4 million franchise tag number.

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Mike Florio at ProFootballTalk reports that Ochocinco is due to make $3 million in each of the next two years with the Patriots. That would seem to be well above his current value, based on his 2011 numbers.

Florio notes that the Patriots do not want to cut Ochocinco just yet. The $6 million signing bonus he received when he signed a two-year extension with New England after arriving in town as part of a 2011 trade makes that difficult. If Ochocinco does not agree to restructure his contract, he will definitely be on the chopping block prior to the 2012 season.