What are the Patriots Free Agency Needs Pt. 2

Well, you've spoken and I'm extremely surprised by the results. Kind of. We made a poll of which positions are of greatest need in free agency and you've spread your answers across a ton of positions.

Let's get a little more focused.

I'm not surprised that interior offensive line came in first place with 83 votes or 18% of the vote. The shocker, to me, is how close the second place position was with 82 votes: cornerback. It's clear that the opinion surrounding Aqib Talib has been changing the longer and longer he takes to sign back with the team. It's not a favorable sign when we see Brent Grimes sign a large contract for a price higher than we would have placed on Talib. And then when Talib comes out looking to be paid top dollar? That puts everything into doubt.

Defensive end was third place with 78 votes (you'll not that 5 votes separated first and third), which shows how much a rotational defensive end is needed. A rookie might not be the best fit to spell Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich; instead a veteran seems like the more desired approach for a DE3 (and I support that notion as well).

Defensive tackle is fourth with 68 votes and tight end is 5th with 60 votes. Outside of the cornerback spot, the other four desired positions can be considered as being in the trenches. Positions like wide receiver and safety pulled under 10% of the vote, which is slightly surprising and I would expect some veteran presences to be desired at those roles.

It also presents an interesting juxtaposition between Talib and Julian Edelman. We can see how much everyone value what Talib brings to the team- or rather we see what hole would be present should he leave. Edelman is viewed more as a luxury and his pending departure doesn't bring the same level of panic or desire.

So looking at the positions with 10% or more of the vote, we'll have a re-vote. With the top positions ranking so closely together, the hope is that these final five positions can separate themselves in a more meaningful way so we can start evaluating specific targets in the free agency period.