The Patriots have a hole in the defensive backfield following last week’s retirement of longtime safety Devin McCourty, and it’s fair to think New England could address it on the open market.
And while there’s no obvious answer, the Patriots of course could do so internally with Adrian Phillips or Kyle Dugger, ESPN’s Mike Reiss highlighted a top-of-the-market defender that might entice Bill Belichick as free agency quickly approaches.
“In 2017, Belichick surprised at the start of free agency by signing cornerback Stephon Gilmore to a top-of-the-market deal. If Belichick takes a similar approach this year — targeting a player with high-end traits in his prime years for a big contract — there is one who stands out most as a Belichick-type fit: Bengals safety Jessie Bates III,” Reiss wrote in a column published Sunday.