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With free agency just over four hours away, we have some news on one of the first free agents who will visit the Patriots: former Broncos linebacker Wesley Woodyard:
Despite interest from DAL, source close to Wesley Woodyard told me his 1st trip is to NE, with another team visit planned after
— Brandon Krisztal (@BKDenverSports) March 11, 2014
If the Patriots are truly interested in signing Woodyard, he might not even leave Foxboro after visiting today.
Woodyard, 27, has spent his entire six year career with the Broncos. He’s regarded as an athletic, weak-side linebacker who is undersized (6’0” and 233 lbs), but plays with a lot of emotion.
Signing him would bring even more athleticism to the Patriots linebacker corps, and he would likely be a key contributor in sub-packages. According to ProFootballFocus.com, Woodyard had a down year in coverage last season, but was elite for a linebacker in 2012 with an +8.6 grade against the pass.
The addition of Woodyard would be a fundamental shift from bigger linebackers such as the likely to depart Brandon Spikes.