New England Free Agent Target: DT Desmond Bryant

[Rémy LeBeau]

The defensively inept Oakland Raiders were seemingly dealt a serious blow when 33-year-old ex-Patriot Richard Seymour went down during Week 8 with a hamstring injury. Seymour was swiftly placed on injury reserve after the symptoms didn't subside in practice, effectively ending his 2012 campaign during an all-important contract year.

Seymour was playing well enough up until that point, recording 15 tackles, 3 sacks and earning a nifty top-12 defensive tackle grade courtesy of the wunderkinds over at Pro Football Focus. But the Raiders had an unlikely card up their sleeve: a 2009 undrafted free agent out of a little school in Cambridge known as Harvard.

DT Desmond Bryant didn't just suitably fill the position vacated by Seymour--he outplayed it--compiling 18 total tackles and 4 sacks in his absence. Even more impressively, the Raiders' defense improved by a drastic 3.5 points a game during the second half of their season. It'd be difficult to pin a late-season turnaround on Bryant alone, but his impact utilized in a variety of fronts and techniques (1- and 3-technique, mainly) can't easily be refuted.

Why He's a Good Fit: Even after signing DT Armond Armstead, the Patriots are still admittedly thin along the interior of the defensive line. Besides the obvious local tie-in, Bryant possesses some Patriot-esque size: 6'6" and reportedly beefing up to 311 pounds in the four years he's been in the league.

Because of the relatively small sample size (just 18 career games started), Bryant could be had inexpensively. With PFF grading him as the best defensive tackle in free agency, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better deal in the market on a strictly dollars-to-production ratio. DT Richard Seymour is also set to be a free agent, and while a Seymour-New England reunion isn't entirely out of the question, Bryant is the player to pursue. He has plenty of upside, plenty of years left to contribute (he's just 27), and plenty of uses for a team still left hammering away at the consistently elusive pass rush.

Why He's Not: Bryant's emergence into his athletic prime coupled with breakthrough games during the tail end of the Raiders' season haven't gone unnoticed. For this reason, many teams are expected to contend for Bryant's services in the offseason, pushing the cost up until it's prohibitive for New England. While quite possibly allowing Seymour to walk, the Raiders will push particularly hard to keep Bryant as a cost-effective piece to build the evolving defense around.

After the Patriots struck out in DT free agency this past offseason with the unsuccessful acquisition of Jonathan Fanene, they could be gun-shy when it comes to dropping big bucks on another player--especially one with a medical red flag. Bryant left action after the first half in one of his starts due to an irregular heartbeat, and while not a major concern, the Patriots may prefer to play it safe and draft and promote from within where they maintain total control over a player's vitals and cost as it pertains to the salary cap.

The Consensus: Bryant is an intriguing player that boasts a lot of legitimate measurables for any team hoping to bolster its defensive line. While the Patriots will undoubtedly exercise their due diligence and take a closer look at Bryant, I only envision serious pursuit if they consider themselves unable to pluck promising defensive line prospects where they are currently situated in the 2013 Draft. Bryant would be an amazing take for the right price, but will likely command too many dollars and years for a team that's hoping to lock down two big free agents of their own in Wes Welker and Sebastian Vollmer.

[BigGuy951]

RM better find a way to keep Bryant.

[Kid Fabulous]

He's staying in Oakland. RM wont overpay for his services either. Always been a big fan. The pats are more than welcome to Kelly or Seymour.

[bigjunior559]

^^lol yup!^^

[raiderdave]

He's staying in Oakland. RM wont overpay for his services either. Always been a big fan. The pats are more than welcome to Kelly or Seymour.

offer them kelly,seymour for a 5th, 6th round

[tbrown76]

Bryants agent doing a good job of getting his value up .......but i really like him...hope he stays

[carolinaraider]

Am I the only one that was not impressed with this guy? I didn't see it in game...his impact was minimal at best. Hell, in instances I thought Bilukidi (sp?) outplayed them all. I'd rather RM bring in fresh bodies to the team, they just have to completely remove as many players from the old regime as possible.

[Raiders-SJ]

Raiders better keep him!

In the end RM could hurt this team and take it backwards.

[N. Cog Neato]

If he has a choice between the Pats and us.......well, it won't look too good....

[blakersburris]

He's staying in Oakland. RM wont overpay for his services either. Always been a big fan. The pats are more than welcome to Kelly or Seymour.

Slim chance. This is this guy's livelyhood. He's not going to stay in Oakland for less money because he is loyal. He is going to the highest bidder.

Unfortunately, this will be a big blow. Should've offered him a new deal mid-season. Saw this coming and IMO, he is very capable of being a terror on the D-line.

[Wolfe-Raider]

I don't know how much he and his agent think he is worth, but I can bet that RM has a high number set, a low number set, and will shoot for something in between, if he wants more than that...he's gone. Sounds like a "Well, that is obvious" type of statement and it is, but that is RM's job, working the numbers. It is possible we get him back, if RM thinks he can fit him in the cap next year and in future years. That defensive line is getting an overhaul this year, but it will be nice to start with good players like Houston and Bryant and build a juggernaut. I sure would like to see our young guys make a name for themselves.

[tbrown76]

Am I the only one that was not impressed with this guy? I didn't see it in game...his impact was minimal at best. Hell, in instances I thought Bilukidi (sp?) outplayed them all. I'd rather RM bring in fresh bodies to the team, they just have to completely remove as many players from the old regime as possible.

I would disagree...but bryant is another guy that doesnt get noticed...sacks not high..but as far as technique..hes a good defensive tackle...he can get push and is very stout against the run..he very disruptive...sometimes those things dont show up on paper...but when you watch him play he definately is a handful for opposing offensive guards and tackles ..

[N. Cog Neato]

Look, we(Uncle Al) overpaid one DT who played nowhere near what that contract gave him, and RM won't go that route. If he demands too much "coinage", let'em walk.

[mberr]

he better be loyal, we've groomed him since picking him up as an UDFA out of Harvard.

[mberr]

I would disagree...but bryant is another guy that doesnt get noticed...sacks not high..but as far as technique..hes a good defensive tackle...he can get push and is very stout against the run..he very disruptive...sometimes those things dont show up on paper...but when you watch him play he definately is a handful for opposing offensive guards and tackles ..

I also think he outplays Houston when they both play out of position as DEs