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Patriots release LB Rosevelt Colvin, roster in flux

The Patriots released one of their more productive (and expensive) linebackers today in Rosevelt Colvin. Colvin was lost this past season to injury but was extremely productive while he played. He made the key INT to seal the game against Indy for the Pats to imrpove to 9-0. The defense’s play did dip after Colvin went down, but the Patriots were able to save around $5 million on their cap. There’s still a possibility Colvin could return if he doesn’t get the money he’s looking for in free agency.The big question now is what exactly Belichick and Co. have in mind as it relates to the defense.

Currently, only Mike Vrabel and Adalius Thomas remain on the roster as returning starters. I haven’t seen anything from other linebackers, such as Pierre Woods, that gives me confidence replacements exist on the roster. If Junior Seau and Tedy Bruschi retire and/or do not return to the team, that some major voids at linebacker. Does this mean that the Pats will use more 4-3 as their base defense? As it stands now, their defensive linemen far surpass their linebackers in terms of depth and talent. Do the Pats have their eyes on some free agents and/or draft prospects that they feel can fill the void?

As far as free agents go, the best currently on the market are Calvin Pace from Arizona, who is a DE/OLB hybrid, Landon Johnson from Cincinnati, and Lance Briggs from San Francisco. Pace is by far the best fit for the Patriots and would allow Thomas or Vrabel to move inside, unless Belichick feels Pace can make the transition inside. Johnson has been Cinci’s most consistent defender and has good speed, while Briggs has already made it known he’s looking for big money and doesn’t particularly like the 3-4, both of which are major deterrents.

It’s still a little early to project LBs for the draft, especially the unique things the Patriots look at. First round possibilities at pick #7 include Vernon Gholston from Ohio State and Chris Long if he somehow miraculously falls on draft day. Both are defensive ends with the build and skills to play OLB in the 3-4. Gholston was a workout freak at the Combine, most notably putting up 37 reps on the bench and running a 4.67 40. Long was right there with him in workouts, and both showed good, fluid movement in drills where they had to stand up and change directions quickly. Should the Patriots trade back, Keith Rivers and Dan Connor remain possibilities.

This is certainly shaping up to be a roster in flux. It should be an interesting next month or so for free agency and leading up to the NFL Draft. It appears this team will be vastly different than the one that went 18-1 last season.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 26th, 2008 at 8:24 pm and is filed under Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, NFL Free Agency, Junior Seau, Rosevelt Colvin, Patriots Draft, Patriots Roster, Defensive Line, Adalius Thomas. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.