Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Today, the New England Patriots divulged some potentially catastrophic news regarding their secondary. That news was that the team officially placed safety Adrian Wilson on injured reserve with an unknown “injury.”
It has been rumored that he isn’t really hurt and that the team is simply doing him a veteran courtesy, keeping him on the team so he can be paid instead of just releasing him. If he was released outright, he would not have received compensation with the exception of offseason workout bonuses if they were met.
Although Wilson has looked mediocre thus far in the preseason, he was still a better option at the position than the safeties behind him on the roster. Each of the Patriots’ backups have serious flaws that prevent them from being impact playmakers at the safety position.
Duron Harmon is too raw to start right away, Tavon Wilson looks more and more like a draft bust with each passing day, and Steve Gregory is a poor tackler.
If any of these defenders were forced to start, the team will likely have another season where the secondary lets them down. The Patriots would be much better off signing an established veteran to take some of the pressure off both the newcomers and Gregory.
In any case, this development should be very concerning to you if you are a fan of the Patriots. For me personally, I think back to how the Patriots’ decision to pass on signing Ed Reed this offseason was a colossal mistake.
They would have had a healthy player that is arguably the best safety to ever play the game. Instead, they signed an “injured” player that may never play a down for the Patriots, or perhaps the entire NFL ever again.
