New England Patriots free agency 2019: Top 5 targets

FOXBOROUGH, MA - JANUARY 24: New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick gives a press conference ahead of New England Patriots practice at the Gillette Stadium practice facility in Foxborough, MA on Jan. 24, 2019. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

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5. Anthony Barr, EDGE

Anthony Barr looked like he was well on his way to becoming one of the great linebackers in this league after his rookie season with the Minnesota Vikings. The former UCLA product had 70 tackles in 12 games, and recovered three fumbles including one for a touchdown. He had six tackles for loss and seven quarterback hits.

He really didn’t have a year like that since. Yet, he’s still been really good for every season since. He made the Pro Bowl the past four seasons. His stats say things have fallen off a bit, but he’s become a leader in that locker room at just 26 years old.

Barr would be a perfect fit for this Patriots team. They could put him alongside Donta Hightower and Kyle Van Noy to really set up this defense for the future. It would help the Patriots with their run defense, which at times was gashed by teams that should have had no business being in games against them.

Barr would be an excellent addition to this Patriots team, but he might cost a pretty penny. Barr made around $12 million last season, and he will likely want a similar price to average out his salary. Think he could sign for something in the four-year, $50 million range. It would cut into about half of the Patriots remaining salary cap openings, but this is before the Patriots make any cuts. They can easily afford to make this move.

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