Patriots Could Poach Underrated Defender From AFC Rival

The New England Patriots just made a huge addition to their pass rush, signing edge rusher Harold Landry to a three-year deal. But they need more.

The Patriots finished with just 28 sacks in 2024, which ranked last in the NFL. Landry is very good, but he won't solve the problem on his own, and New England still has plenty of remaining cap room to add another piece in the trenches.

ESPN's Mike Reiss named the defensive line as the Pats' second-biggest need heading into free agency, and he identified a very interesting potential candidate for the Patriots in that regard: Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo.

Odeyingbo's numbers from this past season won't jump off the page, as he finished with a modest 31 tackles and three sacks. However, he racked up 17 quarterback hits, indicating that he was definitely getting to opposing signal-callers in 2024.

What's more, the 25-year-old is just two years removed from rattling off 38 tackles and eight sacks, displaying his potential as a serious pass-rushing threat.

Odeyingbo, who played his collegiate football at Vanderbilt, was selected by the Colts in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

He has quietly established himself as a very effective defender over the first four years of his NFL career and represents one of the more intriguing edge rushers hitting the open market this week.

Of course, New England may prefer to bring in another pass rusher via the NFL Draft next month, especially after spending some pretty significant money on Landry.

However, as the Philadelphia Eagles proved in the Super Bowl, you can never have enough pass rushers, and Odeyingbo may very well be one of the best ones available this offseason.

We'll see if the Pats make a serious push for him.