After exceeding expectations last season and reaching the Super Bowl, the New England Patriots have had a great offseason, bringing in veterans from outside the organization. The list is headlined by Mike Vrabel connections in a pair of All-Pros: safety Kevin Byard and wide receiver A.J. Brown.
After addressing many of the team’s roster needs via the draft and free agency, edge rusher remains one of the weakest positions on the roster. Luckily for Eliot Wolf, there is a team down I-95 that has a surplus of young pass rushers in the New York Giants that may trade former 5th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Kayvon Thibodeaux.
On Saturday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that New England may be a sleeper team to acquire the former lottery pick, and adding Thibodeaux to the Patriots’ pass rush room would be the perfect low-risk, high-reward move to add high-end depth.
Kayvon Thibodeaux can bolster New England’s pass rush
New England has done an admirable job of adding to its pass rush room this offseason. In free agency, the team brought in former Baltimore Raven, Dre’Mont Jones, and traded up for Gabe Jacas in the second round of the draft. Adding these two options to a room that only included Harold Landry and Elijah Ponder was much needed, but adding a player of Thibodeaux’s caliber could bring this unit over the top.
Thibodeaux, 25, has had an up-and-down start to his four-year career. In his second season, he recorded 11.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. In his other three seasons, the edge rusher has a combined 12 sacks and three forced fumbles.
Entering the final year of his rookie deal, Thibodeaux needs to put his immense talent all together; all he needs is consistent opportunity. While he likely won’t be given that chance in New York, the New England Patriots have plenty of question marks in their pass rush group and present the perfect new team to develop the promising pass rusher.
The California native is an elite talent who needs the right environment to consistently put it all together. Under the guidance of Vrabel and former Giants DC Shane Bowen, New England offers exactly that.
If the Giants’ asking price drops to a future mid-round pick as league executives expect, this is a no-brainer. It is the perfect low-risk, high-reward gamble that could transform a thin edge-rushing room into one of the sneakiest units in the AFC conference.
