3 free agents Patriots must target after 2024 NFL Draft

The Patriots’ offensive line was miserable in 2023, which certainly played a role in Mac Jones’ demise (although he probably wasn’t going to make it in New England regardless of who was playing tackle). New England tried to address the issue this offseason, but it’s clear that the offensive line is still a problem heading into 2024.

That’s where David Bakhtiari comes into play.

Bakhtiari was cut by the Green Bay Packers earlier in the offseason, as the Packers could no longer support his salary with him constantly missing games.

When healthy, there is no doubt that Bakhtiari is one of the best tackles in the game, but he has played a grand total of 13 games over the last three seasons, and 11 of those contests came in 2022. That’s part of the reason why he is still available.

Of course, Bakhtiari is also probably waiting for the right situation, and I’m not too sure he would view the Patriots as a great landing spot. Still, he is currently without a job, so perhaps signing a one-year deal in New England where he can hopefully stay healthy and return to his Pro Bowl form would be a swell idea.

Bakhtiari is a three-time Pro Bowler and has earned a couple of First-Team All-Pro selections.

Cam Akers – running back

The Patriots’ backfield is not very impressive at this juncture.

New England is currently employing Rhamondre Stevenson as its featured back, and while he had a strong season in 2022, he is coming off of a rather unproductive 2023 campaign in which he rushed for 619 yards and four touchdowns while averaging a pedestrian four yards per carry. He also missed the last five games of the season with a sprained ankle.

To be fair to Stevenson, the Pats’ offensive line was bunk this past year, and their quarterback play was not exactly inspiring. So, perhaps he would have been more effective in a more conducive situation.

Or maybe he just isn’t anything more than a mediocre running back.

The Patriots signed Antonio Gibson in free agency, and while he possesses some ability as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, he isn’t going to move the needle much. New England also did not address this problem in the draft, as it didn’t select a single halfback.

But what about Cam Akers?

There was a time when Akers was a fine running back prospect with the Los Angeles Rams, although he didn’t exactly pan out under Sean McVay and ended up getting traded to the Minnesota Vikings back in September.

Akers put forth paltry numbers in 2023, rushing for 167 yards and a couple of scores while logging 2.8 yards per attempt. Those stats make Stevenson look like Barry Sanders. However, no one would be asking Akers to be the Patriots’ lead back. He could merely serve as a supplementary piece in a backfield by committee rotation.

The Florida State product is still just 24 years old, so there is hope here. He does have a checkered injury history, but it really couldn’t hurt to add him on a cheap one-year deal to see if he could bring anything to the table.

Hunter Renfrow – wide receiver

Remember when Hunter Renfrow appeared to be on track to become one of the NFL’s most prolific pass-catchers?

Back in 2021 with the Las Vegas Raiders, Renfrow hauled in 103 receptions for 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns en route to a Pro Bowl appearance. No, he wasn’t explosive, but he was a sure-handed target capable of making catches in traffic. Heck, he boasted a phenomenal catch rate of 80.5 percent that season.

Since then, however, Renfrow has cratered. Injuries limited him to just 10 games in 2022, and when he was on the field that year, he caught 36 passes for 330 yards and a pair of scores. Then, this past season, the 28-year-old logged just 25 catches for 255 yards.

What happened, and is there still hope for Renfrow to regain any of his previous form?

Clearly, teams aren’t very interested in the Clemson product, which is why he is still left in free agency while other receivers like Zay Jones and Marquez Valdes-Scantling have recently been taken off the board. But no one even wants to take a flier on him?

The Patriots should be the team to give him a chance.

Yes, New England drafted a pair of receivers in Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, but the club could still use another veteran in the mix. Currently, it’s Kendrick Bourne, DeMario Douglas, K.J. Osborn and JuJu Smith-Schuster, the latter of whom has been sapped by injuries.

There are a lot of wide outs on the Pats’ roster, but most of them are very unproven. Renfrow at least has a track record of being productive, and if the Patriots opt to play Maye next season, Renfrow could represent a security blanket for him on short throws.