While the Patriots haven’t historically paid up for free agent defensive lineman, Trey Flowers could be a special case, as Jeff Howe of The Athletic tweets. For one, Flowers is highly respected within the New England locker room — Howe deems Flowers a “model human being” with zero off-field issues. Second, Flowers and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick share the same agent (Neil Conrich), which could theoretically help push negotiations along. Flowers, 25, is part of stacked 2019 free agent edge rusher class that also includes Jadeveon Clowney, Dee Ford, Frank Clark, and DeMarcus Lawrence. While he’s posted only 3.5 sacks, Flowers ranks sixth in the NFL with 31 quarterback pressures.
Here’s more from the NFL’s two East divisions:
- The Eagles were the lone NFL team to contact the Tampa Police Department for more details on linebacker Reuben Foster‘s recent domestic violence arrest, according to A.J. Perez of USA Today. Foster’s arrest — his third of the year — led to his immediate release from the 49ers. Most observers didn’t expect Foster to get claimed off waivers given his track record and the seriousness of his most recent episode, but the Redskins did place a claim for the troubled linebacker (and were the only club to do so). Washington has been slammed for taking on Foster, leading team executive Doug Williams to push against the backlash in an interview with Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post. “The high risk was the beat-up that we’re going to take from PR,” said Williams. “We understood that from a PR standpoint, and we’re taking it. The most important thing is, we’re hoping that things come out and it wasn’t the way that everything has been perceived. We don’t know that. We have to wait and see.”
- Dolphins vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum has been “raving” about Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert, per Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.net (Twitter link). Clearly, it’s a bit early to be linking NFL teams to collegiate prospects, and Herbert may not even enter the 2019 draft. But Miami’s possible interest in Herbert only underscores the Dolphins as a potential destination for a first-round quarterback next season. As Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald indicated on Wednesday, incumbent starter Ryan Tannehill‘s 2019 fate with the Dolphins is up in the air, so Miami could certainly be in the market for a young quarterback next spring.
- In case you missed it, Jets wide receiver Robby Anderson would prefer not to play out the 2019 campaign under a restricted free agent tender and is instead pushing for a contract extension.
If Herbert enters the draft he’ll be gone by then