The Patriots will plan to host free agent defensive end Adrian Clayborn, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
New England can use all the pass rush help it can get, as the club ranked 31st in adjusted sack rate a year ago. Clayborn can help with that, as the 29-year-old managed 9.5 sacks in 2017. However, Clayborn famously posted six of those sacks in one game against overpowered Cowboys left tackle Chaz Green.
While the Patriots appear to be Clayborn’s first free agent visit, he is not wanting for overall interest. The Colts, Buccaneers, Browns, and the incumbent Falcons are all eyeing a pact with Clayborn, who — unsurprisingly — is being targeted by clubs that run predominantly 4-3 schemes.
PFR ranked Clayborn as the No. 7 edge defender heading into free agency, but three of the pass rushers listed above him — Julius Peppers, William Hayes, and Trent Murphy — have already landed new contracts.