INDIANAPOLIS — The Patriots are usually not afraid to indicate their hand with regards to speaking about their high impending free brokers.
For two days in a row now, director of scouting Eliot Wolf and head coach Jerod Mayo have made it clear that it’s a precedence to re-sign offensive lineman Mike Onwenu and security Kyle Dugger.
“Man, I love those guys,” Mayo advised a bunch of native reporters Wednesday on the NFL Scouting Combine. “I like Big Mike. I believe he has the flexibility to play guard or sort out. Look, a type of guys that when he’s going, he’s dominant.
“And with Dugger, I might say final 12 months going into the season there have been some questions on, ‘can he communicate and all those…’ He squashed all of that this 12 months. He did a unbelievable job in his new position with out having Devin there.
“So you definitely want those pieces to stay. You develop through the draft. So if those guys stay, obviously, they’ve been raised here and they can help push the culture forward.”
Onwenu just lately fired his brokers however will probably be the pricier of the 2 gamers given the premium place he can play as a guard or sort out. If the Patriots don’t re-sign Onwenu, then they don’t have clear choices to play left or proper sort out.
Dugger led the Patriots with 1,116 defensive snaps in 2023 and likewise has the positional flexibility to play free security or sturdy security.
Mayo confirmed that each Onwenu and Dugger have been at Gillette Stadium for the reason that finish of the season, and that he’s touched base with each gamers.
“It hasn’t really been about football. It’s really just been about you know how you’re doing,” Mayo mentioned. “And those guys are excited to go through the (free agency) process, which I think it is important for those guys to go to the process. But hopefully at the end of the day they come back to New England.”
The Patriots may use a franchise or transition tag on Onwenu or Dugger, but it surely seems like Mayo and the workforce would like a long-term deal.
The franchise ($20,985,000) or transition ($19,040,000) tag is a pricy possibility for Onwenu. It could be extra inexpensive to make use of the franchise ($17,123,000) or transition ($13,815,000) tag on Dugger.
“That’s always an option. But at the same time with guys like that, you want those guys to be happy,” Mayo mentioned. “You want them to be here for the long term. So that’s the plan.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com