Former Dallas Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith heads into free agency as the biggest prize in a lackluster offensive line market.
At 33 years old and with eight Pro Bowl selections under his belt, Smith should still have some good years left and no shortage of teams interested in bringing him in.
One of those teams, according to Mark Daniels of MassLive, should be the New England Patriots.
#Patriots are expected to pursue free agent OT Tyron Smith when free agency opens, per @ByMarkDaniels https://t.co/7UYGCr8LuY https://t.co/U2Ep0XD3fB pic.twitter.com/1oTacewzcQ
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 3, 2024
Smith hasn’t played more than 13 games in a season since 2015, but should still be considered one of the league’s best tackles when healthy.
New England has the second-most cap space in the league at $91.45 million and needs talent at nearly every position.
The Patriots also have the No. 3 overall pick in a relatively loaded quarterback class, so if the Pats opt to go with a rookie quarterback, what better way to protect him than with a 5-time All-Pro left tackle?
Given the difficulty of finding a stalwart tackle in free agency, Smith will likely have many teams after him.
Charles Leno, Duane Brown, Mekhi Becton, Donovan Smith, and Patriots current left tackle Trent Brown are the other notable names in free agency, none of whom have nearly the accolades of Tyron Smith.
The Patriots gave up 48 sacks last season despite Brown’s solid performance.
New England opted to let Brown’s contract void, and he will likely hit the open market as well to become perhaps the second-biggest left tackle free agent available.
Smith wouldn’t be a long-term solution, but if they can keep him healthy, the Pats would be lucky to have him on a short-term deal to protect their new quarterback for a few years.
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