New England Patriots News & Rumors

Buccaneers, Patriots Host DL Lukas Van Ness

The top of the 2023 draft offers a number of highly-touted edge rushers, but teams picking in the middle of the first round will have several options at the position as well. One of the class’ second-tier options is drawing interest in the build-up to the draft.

Iowa defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness has taken visits with the Buccaneers and Patriots, as noted by the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud and Evan Lazar of Patriots.com (Twitter links). Those teams are slated to pick 19th and 14th overall, respectively, which could put them in range to add the versatile defender when they are on the clock.

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah ranks the redshirt sophomore 14th overall in this year’s class, behind only Will Anderson and Tyree Wilson in terms of edge rushers. As opposed to the latter two, Van Ness saw work on the inside during his time with the Hawkeyes, something which comes as little surprise given his frame. The 6-5, 264-pounder was still productive when used as a pass-rusher, though.

Van Ness totaled 13 sacks and 19 tackles for loss over the past two campaigns, figures which show his disruptiveness in the passing game to go along with his strength against the run. His experience on the edge and along the interior makes him a similar prospect to fellow Iowa alum A.J. Epenesa, who was ultimately selected 54th overall by the Bills in 2020. Van Ness will all-but assuredly not have to wait that long to hear his name called.

The Buccaneers were able to re-sign rotational pass rusher Anthony Nelson in free agency as one of a few key defensive contributors they have retained despite their financial constraints. That hasn’t stopped the team from looking into first-round options such as Nolan Smith, however. The latter has also visited the Patriots, a team which posted the fourth-most sacks in the NFL last season but could still benefit from long-term investments up front.

Van Ness would provide versatility to both Tampa Bay and New England if he were to land there, and would be expected to establish a significant role in his rookie season. Both teams have other needs, though, and Van Ness is surely on the radar of other clubs set to pick in the middle-to-late stages of Day 1. In any case, his stock will be worth following as the draft draws nearer.

Draft Rumors: Murphy, Banks, Branch, Forbes, Torrence

One of the top edge defenders available in the draft, Clemson’s Myles Murphy will have a busy week. The 6-foot-5 pass rusher met with the Jaguars earlier this week, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets, and Bengals, Falcons and Texans visits are on tap for one of Clemson’s two first-round-caliber D-line talents. Joining D-tackle Bryan Bresee on this front, Murphy submitted a consistent resume at the ACC power. In three seasons, the 268-pound edge recorded 18.5 sacks and 36 tackles for loss. The Jaguars, who have drafted an edge in Round 1 three times since 2019, go on the clock at No. 24. The Bengals, who have Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard signed beyond 2023, hold the No. 28 pick. The Texans (Nos. 2, 12) and Falcons (No. 8) are needier on the edge, but their draft slots might not align with a player ranked just outside the top 20.

Here is the latest from the draft:

  • Both Scouts Inc. and NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah grade Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks just outside the top 20 as well, but he appears to be interviewing well with teams and trending upward. The Commanders, Ravens and Steelers are three of the teams impressed by Banks, per the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora, who adds others are intrigued by the 6-foot cover man. The Raiders will host the former Big Ten defender today, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 tweets. The Steelers will be connected to Round 1 corners, having lost Cameron Sutton, and the Ravens have not re-signed Marcus Peters. Both Washington and Pittsburgh cut William Jackson over the past seven months. The Raiders, who have not re-signed Rock Ya-Sin, seemingly have a perpetual cornerback need.
  • In addition to Emmanuel ForbesLions visit, the Mississippi State corner is a popular pre-draft guest. The Cowboys, Eagles, Patriots, Steelers, Titans and Vikings are on his visit schedule, Jon Sokoloff of WCBI tweets, with Wilson adding the Bengals and Commanders will take a look as well. Forbes’ frame will certainly come up at these meetings. Despite posting a Division I FBS-record six pick-sixes and intercepting 14 passes in three seasons, Forbes being 6-foot and 166 pounds will be an issue for teams. Nevertheless, he profiles as a late-first-round talent.
  • Staying on the DB front, Alabama’s Brian Branch might be the best bet for safety-needy teams in what is viewed as a weak class at the position. The Falcons, Commanders, Raiders, Texans and Vikings are on Branch’s pre-draft itinerary, per Wilson, who adds the Bills have a workout scheduled for the multiyear Crimson Tide contributor as well. Branch has extensive slot experience as well, providing potential flexibility for teams considering him in the late first round.
  • Like Branch, Florida guard O’Cyrus Torrence profiles as the top player at his position going into the draft. The Louisiana transfer became a consensus All-American in 2022, and the Bills, Commanders and Steelers have auditioned him thus far, per Wilson and NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (Twitter links). Each of these teams have added at guard already this offseason. The Steelers signed both Isaac Seumalo and Nate Herbig, while the Bills signed Connor McGovern. The Commanders signed ex-Giant Nick Gates but have plans to use him at center, where he played before a severe September 2021 injury sidetracked his career.

Patriots Host DE Nolan Smith, WR Zay Flowers

The Patriots are set to pick 14th overall in this month’s draft, a position which will give them a number of options to choose from on both sides of the ball. They have recently met with one of the top pass-rushing and pass-catching prospects in the 2023 class.

New England hosted Georgia defensive end Nolan Smith earlier this week, as detailed by Aaron Wilson of KPRC2. That adds to the widespread interest the highly athletic defender has received in the build-up to the draft, which includes his contributions to the Bulldogs’ national title and an impressive combine performance. The Buccaneers, Ravens and Jaguars have all met with Smith recently, and further visits would come as no surprise given the widespread expectation that he is a first-round lock.

The 6-3, 235-pounder never put up massive pass-rushing numbers during his four years at Georgia, with his best campaign coming in 2021. That year, he racked up 4.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss in 12 games. Smith was limited to just eight contests this season due to a torn pectoral muscle, but still sits near the top of most edge rush prospect rankings. The Patriots ranked fourth in the league in sacks last season, with Matt Judon and Josh Uche each hitting double-digits. Judon is under contract through 2024, but Uche is entering a contract year and could be replaced down the road if they elected to draft Smith.

New England has also had a sit-down with Boston College wideout Zay Flowers, Wilson tweets. Flowers has already taken meetings with the Giants, as well as the Cowboys and Raiders. He is firmly on the first-round radar as one of the most elusive and effective downfield prospects in the class. Interestingly, Wilson reports that multiple NFL teams have graded the 5-10, 177-pounder in the top half of the opening round.

The Patriots struggled on offense in 2022, in no small part due to their lack of efficiency in the passing game. New England signed JuJu Smith-Schuster in a move which should offset the loss of Jakobi Meyers, but an impact addition in the draft should be expected. Flowers – who eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in 2022 – could significantly boost a Patriots offense which ranked 26th in the NFL in yards per contest (315) last season.

Given the interest already showed in both Smith and Flowers, New England may face the possibility of both hearing their names called before they are on the clock. If one or both are still available, though, the team will be well-versed in each prospect.

Latest On Patriots, Mac Jones

The Dolphins picked up their quarterback’s fifth-year option two months in advance, after rumors emerged about the team’s potential to seek an upgrade on Tua Tagovailoa. Committing fully to Justin Fields, the Bears traded the No. 1 overall pick earlier than anyone has during an offseason since the draft moved to April. The Patriots have operated differently with their young quarterback.

Mac Jones is now coming up in trade rumors, and Bill Belichick has not endorsed the 2021 first-round pick — despite Jones receiving praise from Robert Kraftas his surefire starter yet. That said, the Pats might not exactly be intent on moving Jones.

The teams mentioned in Tuesday’s report — the Buccaneers, Commanders, Raiders and Texans — have not seemed to indicate notable Jones discussions commenced. Staffers from multiple teams mentioned told SI.com’s Albert Breer they had not heard from the Patriots on Jones, though one had discussed the quarterback with the Pats. High-ranking execs from a QB-needy team in the AFC and NFC also mentioned they had also not heard from New England, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports (subscription required).

Even if the Patriots are not operating like they want to cut bait on the former national championship-winning passer, his standing in the organization does appear to have taken a hit. Belichick has been upset with how the quarterback conducted himself last season, and the efforts the Alabama alum made to contact coaches at his alma mater did not go over well with the legendary head coach. This certainly raises the stakes for Jones’ 2023, as he took a step back — albeit as he was thrust into one of the stranger offensive experiments in memory — last season. Rival evaluators pointed to the Pats’ dysfunctional offense as giving Jones no chance to succeed in 2022, Howe adds, pointing to potentially reasonable trade value — in the event the third-year QB was legitimately being shopped.

By the end of last season, Breer adds some Patriots coaches did not believe a large gulf existed between Jones and backup Bailey Zappe. The Pats have since released Brian Hoyer, who has rejoined Josh McDaniels in Las Vegas, and are prepared to give Zappe an opportunity to push Jones. Belichick should be expected to make the former No. 15 overall pick earn his job during the summer, Breer notes, adding Zappe — a fourth-round pick out of Western Kentucky — fell in line with what the Patriots were trying to do last year. That perhaps should be expected of a rookie, but Belichick certainly looks to be sending a message to Jones this offseason.

Both Jones and Zappe, per Breer, have stayed in town and are discussing the offense with the new coaching staff, which includes OC Bill O’Brien, whom Jones helped acclimate to Alabama when the ex-Texans HC took over as Nick Saban’s play-caller. The Pats still expect Jones to win the job, Howe notes. As this quarterback matchup comes at a time in which Kraft has not exactly spoken glowingly of Belichick’s recent efforts, this will be a fascinating offseason in Foxborough.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/5/23

Today’s minor moves:

Jacksonville Jaguars

New England Patriots

Cajuste will earn just over $2.7MM on his low-round tender in 2023. The 27-year-old has made five right tackle starts starts across his 17 total appearances with the Patriots, logging a 32% snap share last season. He took a step forward in run blocking in 2022, per PFF, but continued to struggle in pass protection. The former third-rounder will look to maintain at least a backup/swing tackle role with New England this summer.

Draft Rumors: Bears, Jets, Patriots, Titans, Cardinals, Carter, Cowboys, Saints, Browns, Bucs, Jaguars, Ravens

Teams on the radar for tackle help will be meeting with one of the top options available. Georgia tackle Broderick Jones has at least four meetings on his pre-draft itinerary. Jones met with the Titans on Tuesday, will visit the Jets today and has his Patriots meeting on tap for Thursday, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. Each of these teams exited free agency’s early waves with a question mark at one of their two starting tackle positions. The Bears are meeting with Jones, and the Cardinals are also likely to huddle up with the tackle prospect, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweets.

Jones played only two full college seasons, redshirting in 2020 and declaring for the draft after his sophomore year with the Bulldogs. Of course, both those campaigns ended with Georgia winning national championships. Jones saw action behind Chargers 2022 draftee Jamaree Salyer in 2021 and took over as the Bulldogs’ full-time left tackle last season, starting all 15 Georgia games. He earned first-team All-SEC recognition for his work. The 6-foot-5 blocker grades as ESPN.com’s No. 24 overall prospect, while NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah slots the one-year college starter 19th on his big board.

Here is the latest regarding this year’s draft pool:

  • Like last year, Georgia stands to be well represented in the first round. The top ex-Bulldog available will be Jalen Carter, who has generated increased scrutiny in recent weeks. After the arrest warrant interrupted Carter’s Combine, Albert Breer of SI.com notes teams outside the top 10 begun digging into the high-end defensive tackle prospect. Carter, who will not face jail time in connection with the misdemeanor warrants that arrived in February, does not plan to take visits with teams picking outside the top 10. The teams picking beyond No. 10 look to have expressed increased interest after the charges, which have affected Carter’s stock to a degree. A mediocre pro day did as well. Carter is open to meeting with teams who could trade into the top 10, and Breer adds a Laremy Tunsil-like tumble out of the top 10 should not be ruled out based on some teams’ views.
  • Joining Carter and Jones as first-round-caliber talents, defensive end Nolan Smith is on a few teams’ radars. Jeremiah’s No. 16 overall prospect, Smith met with the Buccaneers on Tuesday and will visit the Ravens and Jaguars later this week, Wilson notes. A torn pectoral muscle limited Smith to eight games in 2022, and he did not top 4.5 sacks in a season with the Bulldogs. But the explosive edge — he of a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at the Combine — is still viewed as a near-certainty to go off the board early. The Bucs and Ravens used first-round choices on an edge in 2021 (Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Odafe Oweh), while the Jaguars took Georgia edge rusher Travon Walker first overall last year.
  • Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt visited the Cowboys on Tuesday and is meeting with the Saints today, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and The Score’s Jordan Schultz report (Twitter links). The Browns also hosted Hyatt this week, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson tweets. Teaming with QB Hendon Hooker, Hyatt won the Biletnikoff award — given to the Division I-FBS’ top wideout — last season after catching 15 touchdown passes. After not exceeding 300 receiving yards in his first two college seasons, Hyatt broke through for 1,267 in 2022. The slender receiver sits 36th on Jeremiah’s board; Scouts Inc. slots him 44th. The Saints have also met with Hooker.
  • In addition to Hyatt, the Cowboys hosted Trenton Simpson, per Rapoport, who adds a Browns visit is also on tap for the former Clemson linebacker. Simpson started for two seasons at Clemson, pairing 65 tackles with 6.5 sacks as a junior. This is not viewed as a strong off-ball linebacker class. Both Jeremiah and Scouts Inc. rate Simpson as the top ILB available; he appears outside the top 40 on both big boards.

Tension Remains Between Bill Belichick, Mac Jones; Patriots Shopped QB?

The Patriots placed Mac Jones at the center of a historically unusual experiment last season, giving career defensive coach Matt Patricia the keys to the offense. It backfired, and Jones expressed steady frustration with the plan.

Jones’ irritation spilled outside the building, with NBC Sports Boston’s Tom Curran noting the former first-round pick was asking for assistance from coaches not on New England’s staff. Those efforts getting back to Bill Belichick has affected the sides’ relationship, Curran said during a WEEI interview (video link).

Alabama staffers received calls from Jones regarding the Patriots’ plan on offense, NBC Sports’ Chris Simms reports. This comes after a report that indicated Jones had said during the 2022 offseason he would be teaching the Pats’ offense to Joe Judge, who was moved into position as the team’s de facto quarterbacks coach following his Giants ouster. Judge remains on New England’s staff; Patricia is not currently with the team but has a potential path to stay.

This looks to be a storyline to monitor. Belichick has since shopped Jones this offseason, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who notes the 24th-year head coach has discussed his starting QB in trades with multiple teams. It is not known who Belichick discussed Jones’ potential availability with, but the Raiders were mentioned as a potential suitor before free agency. Las Vegas has since signed former Josh McDaniels pupil Jimmy Garoppolo. McDaniels worked with Jones in 2021.

The Texans also came up, per Florio. Houston GM Nick Caserio was not with the Patriots when they drafted Jones, but he obviously has deep New England ties due to his run as Belichick’s right-hand personnel man. Were the Patriots to attempt to trade Jones outside the AFC, teams like the Buccaneers and Commanders emerged as potential suitors. Those teams have since added Baker Mayfield and Jacoby Brissett, respectively. These veterans would not seemingly be an impediment to a Jones pursuit, so how each organization proceeds in the draft could be relevant to the Patriots.

Jones talks may well have reached the offer stage, with AtoZsports.com’s Doug Kyed adding no offer was good enough to prompt the Patriots to act here. Tension remains between Belichick and Jones, per Kyed, who adds both Robert and Pats president Jonathan Kraft are fond of of the third-year quarterback. This makes it worth wondering if Belichick would have the green light to move on from the former No. 15 overall pick. Jones’ rookie contract can run through 2025, via the fifth-year option. After 2022, it cannot be assumed the Pats will pick up that option. The former national championship-winning QB’s deal has been mentioned as a barrier in the way of a Lamar Jackson pursuit; the Pats are one of the many teams planning to steer clear of the Ravens superstar.

I’m a big fan of Mac,” Kraft said at the league meetings. “He came to us as a rookie. He quarterbacked in his rookie season and did a very fine job I thought. We made the playoffs. I think we experimented with some things last year that frankly didn’t work when it came to him, in my opinion.

Belichick’s unusual Patricia-based plan also may have bothered Brian Hoyer. The off-and-on New England backup was not on board with installing a former defensive coordinator as the play-caller, Curran adds. He was not the only one, with veteran NFL reporter Mike Giardi noting (via Twitter) every position group observed the dysfunction on offense last season.

The Patriots released Hoyer this offseason, eating $1.6MM in dead money to do so, and the 15th-year veteran agreed to terms with the Raiders on Tuesday. Following Hoyer’s 2022 concussion, the Pats used third-stringer Bailey Zappe in place of Jones. A mini-QB controversy developed after the Western Kentucky one-and-done won both his starts. Jones regained his job after recovering from the high ankle sprain he sustained, but Zappe is now believed to have a chance at pushing Jones this offseason.

A fourth-round pick who played one season of Division I football — albeit a record-setting showing in a pass-crazed offense — Zappe would be an underdog against Jones, who now has Bill O’Brien in place as OC. On his way out of Tuscaloosa in 2021, Jones helped teach Nick Saban’s then-new OC the Crimson Tide’s offense. After Kraft called Belichick’s decision to install Patricia as the Pats’ primary play-caller a mistake, O’Brien — in his second tour of duty as New England’s OC — is now in place to help clean up the mess.

After elevating the Patriots’ passing attack — at least, compared to their Cam Newton season — and helping the 2021 team to the playoffs, Jones has seen his New England tenure veer off course. It will be interesting to see how he, Belichick, Judge and O’Brien coexist moving forward.

WR Jordan Addison To Visit Vikings, Ravens, Giants, Patriots, Chargers

The 2023 draft offers a number of high-end receivers available in the first round, one of whom is Jordan Addison. The former Pitt and USC product is continuing a busy schedule of visits with interested teams.

That process will include meetings with the Vikings, Ravens, Giants and Patriots, as detailed by Aaron Wilson of KPRC2. Each of those sit-downs will constitute one of the 30 allotted to all teams for out-of-town prospects. Wilson adds, however, that Addison also has a local visit scheduled with the Chargers.

Addison flashed plenty of potential in his first season at Pitt, totaling 666 yards on 60 catches. The following year, he and quarterback Kenny Pickett put together a massively productive campaign, one which saw Addison establish himself as one of the top wideouts in the country. In 2021, he finished second in the ACC with 100 receptions, leading the conference in yards (1,593) and touchdowns (17).

Those totals earned him All-American honors and the Biletnikoff Award, along with substantial expectations upon his transfer to USC. In his lone season with the Trojans, the 6-0, 170-pounder recorded 59 catches for 875 and eight touchdowns. While those totals came up well short of his production the year before, they helped cement his status as one of the most effective receivers in the 2023 class, particularly with respect to route running and catch radius.

Of the teams listed, the Vikings, with Justin Jefferson and the Chargers, with Mike Williams and Keenan Allen, already have established high-end wideouts. The latter (who has been listed as an NFL comp for Addison) emerged in trade rumors this offseason, though, and could be a candidate to be replaced in the near future. New England inked JuJu Smith-Schuster as a Jakobi Meyers replacement in free agency, but their pass-catching corps is likely to receive further additions in the coming weeks, including the draft.

Both the Giants and Ravens have been connected to WR moves beyond the relatively minor ones they have already made this offseason. That could, of course, include using Day 1 draft capital at the position as both teams look to take a step forward in the passing game. While Addison’s size and college experience points to him primarily operating in the slot, he represents one of the top options available around the middle of the opening round for any team eyeing an offensive boost.

NFL Contract Details: Woods, Fenton, Gaines, Jones, Mills

Here are some details on more deals signed around the NFL recently:

  • Jalen Mills, CB (Patriots): One year, $3.75MM. The new contract, according to Doug Kyed of AtoZ Sports, has a guaranteed amount of $2.25MM consisting of a $1.25MM signing bonus and $1MM of Mills’s base salary (worth a total of $1.75MM). Mills had taken a $3.5MM pay cut in order to stay with the team, but New England provided him with $3.6MM of potential incentives based on playing time. Mills can earn $600,000 for each of these thresholds of defensive snap count percentages: 42, 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90. The deal also includes a per game active roster bonus of $29,411 for a potential season total of $500,000.
  • Greg Gaines, DT (Buccaneers): One year, $3.5MM. We reported a bit about the defensive tackle’s guaranteed deal worth a potential maximum of $4MM. Greg Auman of FOX Sports has added the detail that the contract has four void years to help spread out Gaines’s cap hit.
  • Rashad Fenton, CB (Cardinals): One year, $1.23MM. The contract, according to Balzer, has a guaranteed amount of $76,250 composed solely of the signing bonus. Fenton’s base salary is worth $1.08MM. He can earn an additional $76,250 as a roster bonus if he’s active for the team’s Week 1 matchup.
  • Josh Woods, LB (Cardinals): One year, $1.23MM. The deal, according to Howard Balzer of PHNX, has a guaranteed amount of $777,500 consisting of a $152,500 signing bonus and $625,000 of Woods’s base salary (worth a total of $1.08MM).
  • Sidney Jones IV, CB (Bengals): One year, $1.13MM. The deal, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, is for the veteran league minimum. Jones can make an additional $50,000 in a roster bonus if he’s active in the team’s Week 1 matchup.

AFC Coaching Updates: Dolphins, Ravens, Titans, Jets, Patriots

The Dolphins announced that they had finalized their 2023 coaching staff three weeks ago. We have reported this offseason on most of the major changes, but here are a few included in their announcement that are new.

On the offensive side of the ball, there were some updates to the team’s assistants. Ricardo Allen moved on to coaching shortly after retirement last year, taking a role as the Dolphins special teams assistant. This year, Allen has moved to the offensive assistant position. Another new offensive assistant, Mike Judge returns to a coaching role after spending some time in the personnel department. Miami will also give former NFL wideout Max McCaffrey his first NFL coaching position. McCaffrey will serve as an offensive assistant after time coaching wide receivers at Northern Colorado.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Dolphins hired Steve Donatell. The son of former Vikings defensive coordinator Ed Donatell worked under his father last year and will serve as a defensive assistant with Miami. Lastly, the team has promoted Ryan Slowik, who served as a senior defensive assistant in 2022. In 2023, Slowik will be the Dolphins outside linebackers coach.

Here are a few other coaching updates from around the conference:

  • With Tee Martin moving to quarterbacks coach, the Ravens hired former Chiefs running backs coach Greg Lewis to fill the wide receivers coaching position, according to the team’s Twitter account. Lewis coached the position in Kansas City for four seasons before moving to running backs.
  • Leaving Baltimore will be former safety Anthony Levine, according to ESPN’s Turron Davenport. Levine had reportedly taken up a role with the Ravens as a scouting and coaching assistant after retiring but will now accept a role with the Titans as a special teams assistant. Tennessee will also bring on Tom Quinn as a special teams assistant and Matt Jones as an offensive line assistant.
  • The Jets have hired Shaq Wilson to fill their assistant defensive line coaching role, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN. Former assistant defensive line coach Greg Scruggs became the defensive line coach at Wisconsin, so New York went to the college ranks that took him away to find Wilson at South Carolina.
  • The Patriots have also added a former college staffer in Keith Jones, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN. The former Arkansas assistant spent time with New England during the 2022 training camp as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Fellowship. Jones, who mostly worked with the Patriots’ defensive line, will be a coaching assistant in New England.