Patriots plan for a pass rusher just took a massive turn for the worse

"Going into the offseason, it was clear what positions the Patriots needed to prioritize in free agency and the draft, with their lack of dominant pass rush being one of their weakest parts of the roster. So the assumption was they would target an EDGE player early and often, but they have only signed Dre'Mont Jones to a contract so far."

"K'Lavon Chaisson's exit puts the Patriots in a very undesirable position. Before free agency began, the Patriots were linked to several pass rushers, some of whom they had expressed interest in before last season's trade deadline. That included Boye Mafe, who impressed with the Seahawks last year and signed a contract with the Bengals."

"It's terrible news for Mike Vrabel, who has made it very clear that he wants to build a young, dominant team, and now the list of suitable players to rush the quarterback is much shorter than it would have been."

The Patriots identified pass rush as a critical need entering the offseason but have struggled to address it effectively. Despite signing Dre'Mont Jones, they lost their best re-sign candidate K'Lavon Chaisson to the Commanders on a one-year, $12 million deal they could have matched. Other top edge rusher targets including Trey Hendrickson, Boye Mafe, Odafe Oweh, and Jaelan Phillips have signed with competing teams. The team's inaction and lack of reported negotiations with available players have left them in an undesirable position. Head coach Mike Vrabel's goal of building a young, dominant team is now complicated by the depleted market for pass rush talent.

Read at Musket Fire