The Patriots Are Building a Team to Protect Tom Brady
Jan 16, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) talks with New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick before the game against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional round playoff game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY SportsThe Patriots made a trade with San Francisco 49ers today. New England received Trent Brown, another offensive tackle, to help protect Tom Brady. The 49ers and Patriots also swapped the 143rd and 95th picks. No one expected the Patriots to make moves like this prior to this weekend.
It was first reported by Pro Football talk that the two teams were in trade talks early this morning. Brown was a seventh-round pick in 2015 NFL Draft. He started ten games in 2017 and 16 in 2016. Brown is also under contract through 2018 with a salary of $1.9 million. Trent Brown had a shoulder injury which made him miss the end of the 2017 season. However, he is expected to be ready by training camp. This comes after the Patriots drafting Isaiah Wynn 23rd overall in the NFL Draft last night.
What Do the Patriots Have up Their Sleeve?
According to Mike Reiss, the offensive tackle depth chart is as follows: Marcus Cannon, LaAdrian Waddle, Isaiah Wynn, Trent Brown, Antonio Garcia, Cole Croston, Matt Tobin, Ulrick John, and Andrew Jelks. The rest of the Patriots draft picks are as follows: In Round 2, they have picks 11 (43rd overall) and 31 (63rd overall). The Patriots in Round 5 have pick 6 (143rd overall). In Round 6, they have picks 24 (198th overall) and 36 (210th overall).
The Patriots seem to be committed with Tom Brady, who turns 41 in August. All of his talk wanting to play till 45 may be false, but so far Belichick wants to protect him with the best players possible. Reports are saying that the Patriots aren’t impressed with this year’s quarterback class. So now they have to build an offensive line good enough so Brady doesn’t get injured. Does this mean Johnny Manziel is in play? Possibly, because there’s really nobody else out there. I don’t like Manziel, but they’ve done this to themselves. They traded the next guy to San Francisco so now they have to deal with the consequences.