The New England Patriots will head into NFL free agency next week with north of $91 million to spend under the salary cap.
It’s no small thing given New England’s disastrous performance during a four-win 2023 season. Front office head Eliot Wolf and Co. need to get it right if the Patriots are going to return to relevance.
A lot of this will depend on what happens at the quarterback position with New England set to trade Mac Jones at some point soon.
But the offensive line is also a major question mark for the Patriots. That includes starting tackles Trent Brown and Mike Onwenu hitting the open market.
With that said, the Patriots might have a plan in place to find a franchise left tackle on the open market next week.
Related: New England Patriots reportedly have no interest in Kirk Cousins
New England Patriots to target Dallas Cowboys’ Tyron Smith
Mark Daniels of Mass Live reports that the Patriots will go hard after the 33-year-old Smith.
“The Patriots would like to find a starting-caliber tackle in free agency. One name to watch is Tyron Smith, who earned second team All-Pro honors with the Cowboys last season. The 33-year-old would provide a short-term solution at left tackle and the Patriots are expected to pursue Smith when free agency opens,” report on the Patriots going after Smith.
A future Hall of Famer, Smith has earned eight Pro Bowl trips since Dallas made the USC product a first-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. As noted above, he earned second-team All-Pro honors with the Cowboys in 2023.
There has been an expectation that Dallas will do what it can to retain Smith. After all, he’s played all 13 of his seasons in Big D.
But market dynamics could very well play a role here. While New England has a ton of cap room, the Cowboys currently find themselves $4.03 million over the 2024 figure.