New England Patriots: Curtis Samuel and the Pats’ top free-agent targets

The New England Patriots are coming off of 20-plus years of unprecedented success and while it is difficult to see them getting back on track to that level again anytime soon, they certainly have an opportunity to make some noise this offseason. According to Spotrac, the Patriots have the fourth-most cap space in the entire NFL this offseason.

That room under the cap to operate coupled with the return of important opt-out players could certainly help the Pats become contenders once again. This is an interesting free agent class filled with talented players who can help the Patriots on both sides of the ball. In this post, we are going to take a look at five realistic free-agent targets for the team and rank 5-1 them based on how much of an impact they can make in New England.

5. Gerald Everett, TE

The New England Patriots simply must get better production out of the tight end position this offseason. They received next to nothing out of third-round rookies Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene this past season, as Ryan Izzo led the way as the primary TE1.

Izzo is a solid blocking tight end, but he should not be the starting tight end for any team. The Patriots will likely be looking to build their tight end room around their younger player, but could certainly use an interesting veteran like Gerald Everett to help them along.

Everett is a talented pass-catcher who creates well after the catch and is also an impact run blocker. Ideally, the Pats would be able to get the most out of Asiasi and Keene going forward, but adding a solid veteran like Everett to stabilize the tight end position would be a strong plan of attack this offseason.