Patriots Connected to Risky 49ers Star to Fill Glaring Hole

The New England Patriots have been linked to a risky San Francisco 49ers star in NFL free agency.

October 23, 2022; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw (57) during the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots have a plethora of needs heading into free agency, but perhaps one of their most under-the-radar holes is at the linebacker position.

The Patriots had plenty of issues with their front seven in 2024, and while the defensive line was obviously a big problem, they didn't exactly get a whole lot of help from their linebacking corps, either.

Fortunately, New England has more than enough money available to address the issue in the coming weeks, and ESPN's Mike Reiss has actually listed linebacker as the team's fourth-biggest need this offseason.

"Ja'Whaun Bentley, Anfernee Jennings and Jahlani Tavai, who account for $16.8 million of the team's $22.4 million in cap space at the position, all have produced in the NFL, but there's question of how they'll fit in Terrell Williams' new attacking scheme," Reiss wrote. "That makes linebacker a bit of a wild card in terms of how aggressive the team might be in filling it."

Reiss then proceeded to name San Francisco 49ers star Dre Greenlaw as a possibility for the Pats, as the veteran is slated to hit the open market this week.

Greenlaw played in just two games this past season, as he missed a huge chunk of time while recovering from a torn Achilles he suffered in Super Bowl 58. He then sustained a calf injury shortly after getting back on the field.

That recent injury history makes the 27-year-old a rather risky proposition on the free-agent market, especially for a team like the Patriots that needs to take full advantage of its cap room and cannot afford to make any major mistakes.

When healthy, though, Greenlaw is a stalwart, which he displayed in 2023 when he racked up 120 tackles, 1.5 sacks and four passes defended for the 49ers.

Perhaps New England would be able to sign the University of Arkansas product to a short-term prove-it deal.

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