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The New England Patriots could plug a significant hole on defense by signing free agent cornerback Marcus Peters.
That’s the suggestion of NBC Sports’ Nick Goss in the wake of Patriots cornerback Jack Jones’ arrest. Jones hasn’t been cut yet, but he has an August 18 court date ahead — well into training camp.
If Jones can’t play, the Patriots lose a quality corner who had two interceptions, six pass deflections, a forced fumble, and 30 tackles last season. The Patriots could use a strong veteran in Peters, who made First-Team All-Pro twice in his career.
MARCUS PETERS WITH THE BIG TIME PICK 😤
(via @NFL)
“Peters spent the last two seasons with the [Baltimore] Ravens and played pretty well,” Goss wrote about Peters. “The main concern with the four-time All-Pro is injuries. He missed four games last season, he didn’t play at all in 2021 [torn ACL] and he played in just six games in 2019. When healthy, though, Peters remains a starting-caliber cornerback.”
“There might be competition for his services, however,” Goss added.
New England Could Out-Bid Raiders for Marcus Peters
As Goss mentioned, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reported that Peters “seems likely to join” the Las Vegas Raiders, but that hasn’t happened since the June 14 report. The Patriots could pursue Peters amid vastly more salary cap space than the Raiders.
Las Vegas has just $2.68 million in cap space while the Patriots have $14.95 million. Peters commands a market value of $9.8 million or a two-year, $19.77 million deal per Spotrac.
Peters has been a steady performer throughout his seven-year career with 32 interceptions, 11 forced fumbles, and 346 tackles. The Kansas City Chiefs drafted Peters at No. 18 in the 2015 NFL Draft, and he made the Pro Bowl his first two seasons.
Kansas City traded Peters to the Los Angeles Rams in 2018, and Peters helped the team reach the Super Bowl before a loss to the Patriots. The Rams traded Peters to the Ravens in 2019 where he continued his solid play.
Peters tallied 11 tackles and two pass deflections in that playoff run, and he has 45 tackles, 10 pass deflections, and three interceptions in 11 career postseason games.
Patriots Look ‘Bleak’ at Corner Without Jack Jones
Injury concerns aside, the Patriots need someone such as Peters for depth and experience. Patriots insider Chad Graff of The Athletic sees glaring issues with the cornerback situation minus Jones.
“If Jones isn’t on the team in 2023, the Patriots’ depth at outside cornerback looks bleak — even after drafting [Christian] Gonzalez in the first round,” Graff wrote. “Jonathan Jones, who is 5-foot-10, probably would have to play on the outside opposite Gonzalez. Marcus Jones likely would have to start in the slot, potentially limiting his usage on special teams and offense.”
“After that, the team’s depth falls off pretty drastically and could cause the defense to play with three or four safeties on the field at the same time,” Graff added.
New England has experience at safety in starters Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers. Adrian Phillips and Jalen Mills likewise have experience, but the position group gets young after that.
Only Joshuah Bledsoe has NFL game experience with three career games. The Patriots otherwise have rookies Marte Mapu, Brenden Schooler, and Brad Hawkins.
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Patriots Urged to Sign 2-Time All-Pro Cornerback to Replace Jack Jones