New England Patriots free agency 2019: Top 5 targets

3. Tavon Austin, WR/Return

This seemed like it would be the perfect spot for Larry Fitzgerald. The current Cardinals wide receiver seems like a match for the Patriots at this time of his career. He’s getting to the end, but he seems like he’s really tied to playing with the Cardinals for his entire career.

Since that’s not happening, let’s move on to another wide receiver who could do some great things with the Patriots. The Pats showed with their use of Cordarrelle Patterson that they can figure out how to use dynamic playmakers that didn’t quite work on other teams. There is one player who stands out like that on this year’s free agency list.

Tavon Austin came into this league out of West Virginia, and he was supposed to be one of the best playmakers this league has seen in years. He was drafted No. 8 overall in 2013, but never lived up to that hype. For the first time, he’s coming off a season full of injuries. It was his first season in Dallas, but there’s little chance he returns. He had two yards in two postseason games this season. The Cowboys clearly found other ways to make their offense tick.

This is the kind of player the Patriots love to jump on. The Pats thrive off taking other team’s “trash” and turning it into their own treasure. They can take Austin and his pure skill and make him a very good player alongside Tom Brady. If he’s willing to put in the work, then Brady will make him a star. Maybe he won’t grow to the point that we thought when he was drafted, but with his speed and the Patriots offense under Josh McDaniels, Austin could turn into a very good offensive weapon. Plus, he’ll cost close to nothing to sign this offseason.