Wesley Woodyard making his first free agent visit with New England
 |
| Ric Tapia/NFL |
Despite interest from DAL, source close to Wesley Woodyard told me his 1st trip is to NE, with another team visit planned after
— Brandon Krisztal (@BKDenverSports) March 11, 2014
Woodyard is no star, but the six year pro could be an excellent depth addition. At 6'0" and 233 pounds, Woodyard is much smaller than Bill Belichick's usual preference at linebacker, but he'd bring some nice speed and coverage ability to the Patriots defense. The 27 year old Woodyard has also proven versatile, having played all three linebacker positions in Denver's defense, and he brings additional value on special teams.
So, how much is it going to cost to add him? Probably not much. Woodyard's value took a nosedive in 2013, as he struggled playing through a Week 5 stinger and was eventually benched for Paris Lenon. As a result, adding Woodyard shouldn't take too much of the team's cap space. It certainly helps that the team they're apparently bidding against, Dallas, currently only have a miniscule $1.5 million in space.
However, Woodyard proved what he could do when healthy in 2012, racking up 117 tackles, 5.5 sacks, three picks (one for a touchdown), six passes defensed and a forced fumble. That kind of versatility would be key in New England, where Woodyard would likely be a top reserve behind the starting trio of Jerod Mayo, Dont'a Hightower and Jamie Collins. Adding another athlete behind those three will help the Patriots become much more flexible with their subpackages, where Hightower was all too often left in to be mismatched in coverage last year. Woodyard's versatility will also give the Patriots flexibility shuffling the lineup around if (knock on wood) one of the starters goes down with an injury.
What do you think about the possibility of adding Woodyard? Chime in below in the comments and on social media
