Matthew Judon made sense for a New England Patriots group competing for a playoff area. But for a four-win team set to rely on either Jacoby Brissett or novice Drake Maye at quarterback and with significant concerns dealingwith both sides of their line, an dissatisfied 31-year-old pass rush in search of a pay raise was a hard fit.
This is not a bad offer for the Atlanta Falcons, who obtained the four-time Pro Bowler Wednesday night for the affordable cost of a 3rd round choice. Atlanta has a clear chance the Patriots do not. With a steady quarterback — 2, in reality, after finalizing Kirk Cousins and preparing Michael Penix Jr. 8th general — and a weak NFC South, the Falcons are primed for their veryfirst playoff look consideringthat 2017.
The Patriots, on the other hand, will practically definitely extend their streak of winless postseasons that dates back to a Super Bowl 53 win over the Los Angeles Rams. Despite this, trading Judon was the right relocation.
On the surfacearea, the swap feels like another housekeeping procedure from a group that just desires to keepinmind the 6 Super Bowl rings of the Belichick age. Judon, after all, was the crown gem of a 13-man 2021 complimentary representative class that saw New England investment a extremely un-Belichick amount into the hundreds of millions of dollars on the open market. With Wednesday’s offer, just 2 of those gamers stay on brand-new offers — Hunter Henry and Kendrick Bourne.
In truth, it’s a method that stems from the Belichick playbook, Specifically one page that states it’s muchbetter to relocation on from a veteran a year too early than a year too late and another that recommends there’s no usage throwing great cash at a lost cause.
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
The Patriots were going to be bad in 2024, with or without Judon
New England had a four-win group in 2023 and kept numerous essential members of that lineup — Henry, Bourne, Mike Onwenu, Christian Barmore, Rhamondre Stevenson, Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers and more. That kept the brilliant areas of the lineup undamaged.
Unfortunately, it didn’t address the group’s open holes with instant options. The group’s beginning takeson are some mix of Pittsburgh Steelers castaway Chukwuma Okorafor, 3rd round novice Caedan Wallace, Vederian Lowe and Calvin Anderson. The large receiver group will rely greatly on NFL function gamers and novices, with Bourne, Demario Douglas, Ja’Lynn Polk and K.J. Osborn looking like the leading 4.
With that kind of skill at essential