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By Sam Minton
December 4, 2018
Trey Flowers will be a free agent at the end of the season and the New England Patriots No.1 priority in the offseason should be re-signing the defensive end.
The New England Patriots aren’t known for being big spenders, but this guy is worth it. Trey Flowers has been a staple of the Patriots defense and deserves a new contract.
Flowers will be a free agent at the end of the season. Which is some bad news for Patriots fans.
Flowers definitely will have the opportunity to make some major cash. The entire NFL realizes how talented Flowers is.
Out of all the Patriots free agents, Flowers may be the most important. If New England doesn’t sign him their defense could be in big trouble. Opposing teams would dominate the Patriots defense.
The Patriots drafted Flowers in the 4th round in 2015. The defensive end has quickly become a great player known for his ability to get to the quarterback.
Flowers always seems to be causing pressure and making life difficult for quarterbacks. This helps New England’s defense out a lot.
Also when the Patriots defense is performing well, New England’s offense is usually getting more playing time.
So even though it seems that the New England Patriots are the cheapest team in all of professional sports they will need to break out the checkbook.
So here are 5 reasons that the New England Patriots need to re-sign Trey Flowers in the offseason.
1. Trey Flowers is the Patriots best pass rusher
The Patriots aren’t exactly known for having great pass rushers. They have had solid guys like Rob Ninkovich, but they haven’t had someone as dominant as Trey Flowers in a long time.
The most recent guy I can think of is Chandler Jones (now I’m imagining having Flowers and Jones on the same team which would be amazing).
It seems like Trey Flowers is in the backfield every play. Flowers could have Vince Wilfork in front of him and he would still find a way to make it into the backfield.
Flowers has proved throughout his time in New England that he is the Patriots best pass rusher. He has led the Patriots in sacks for the last 3 seasons.
The Patriots pass rush starts with Trey Flowers. If he was to leave the team I think New England would struggle mightily to get to the quarterback which isn’t ideal when you have a 41-year-old quarterback.
2. The New England Patriots need to build a strong defense
The Patriots defense has been great this season and if New England wants to be successful in the future they need to have a strong defense.
It’s a slight miracle that the New England Patriots offense is still able to score like they do. Tom Brady is defeating father time and looking like he is immortal. Sadly that isn’t the case.
The day that Brady will retire is inching closer and closer. The Patriots need to start planning for life without the quarterback.
Also Rob Gronkowski is looking like he may need to go to a retirement home soon. The tight end isn’t what he used to be. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gronk walks away from the game in a year or two.
This all means that the Patriots offense will be undergoing a major makeover. So this means the defense has to step up and keep New England in games.
By re-signing Trey Flowers you ensure that at the minimum the Patriots will have a dominant front seven that will cause chaos in the backfield.
3. Trey Flowers is having the best season of his career
I think that this season is Trey Flowers best as a pro.
Now the numbers don’t show this. If we were going strictly by the stats, 2016 would be his best season. Flowers had 7 sacks and looked like an absolute beast.
This season stands out to me because Flowers just makes everything look easy. He isn’t struggling to get into the pocket. He is doing everything with ease. Flowers looks comfortable out there.
Flowers has 5 games left to gain 2 more sacks which would put him at last years total. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him reach that goal.
The defensive end is also racking up the tackles. He already has 40 and might be able to reach a new career high if he keeps playing well.
So even though the numbers may not show it, Trey Flowers is having the best season of his career with his ability to dominate opponents.
4. Flowers is a consistent player
One of the great things about Trey Flowers is you know what you are going to get from him. The Patriots know they can count on Flowers to maneuver his way into the backfield and blow plays up before they even start.
When you look at Flowers stats you don’t see a lot of variation. The defensive end will have a couple of tackles a game and will have a few QB hits and then a sack or two.
Flowers has never been completely shut out of a game. When he struggles to get to the quarterback he stops the running game. When he is struggling to stop the run, he is able to get the quarterback. When he can’t do both he is able to break up passes with his athleticism. The guy can do it all.
The Patriots can always rely on Flowers to be there for them.
5. Trey Flowers is entering the prime of his career
If the Patriots re-sign Flowers it isn’t like they are going to have a terrible player by the end of the deal.
Flowers is just entering the prime of his career. The defensive end is only 25 years old. That means if New England signs him to a 5-year deal he would still be a great player.
The move just makes so much sense. The Patriots would be getting a great pass rusher for the best years of his career. What more could you ask for?
Flowers deserves a raise and I think he will get it for the Patriots. If they make the mistake of not signing the defensive end it will haunt them for years to come.
The Patriots need to have a solid defense and if they lose Trey Flowers they will be in big trouble. The defensive end plays a crucial role in the team’s success moving forward.
