According to sources close to the San Diego Chargers, if San Diego can re-sign corner back Drayton Florence, they will place Antonio Cromartie on the trading block.
Obviously, the first thing that came to my mind was the possibilities of the Patriots swinging a trade for the 2007 Pro Bowler.
The Patriots currently hold the Chargers' second-round pick in April's NFL Draft, acquired in a draft-day deal from last April. Could that be enough to acquire the former All-Pro? The Patriots could also sweeten the deal with a mid-to-late round selection, possibly in the fifth or sixth round.
Cromartie is only 24 years old, a three-year veteran. He has played in all 48 games in his NFL career, starting 23 games. He had a career year in 2007 with ten interceptions, 18 passes defended and an NFL-record 109-yard field goal return for a touchdown.
Cromartie fell off a bit in 2008, with 64 tackles, two interceptions and nine passes defended. Cromartie lost his starting job to Florence and Quentin Jammer, so he seems to be in need of a fresh start.
The Patriots obvious weakness is in their secondary. Their corner back trio of Ellis Hobbs, Terrence Wheatley and Jonathan Wilhite won't win any championships. By acquiring Cromartie, the Patriots suddenly have one of the most stout defensive backfields in the NFL. Cromartie has proven that he can hang with the best receivers in the league, something that Hobbs proved that he could not do in 2008.
In other news, the Patriots hosted free-agent linebacker Heath Farwell yesterday. Farwell is a special teams wiz, in the same vein of Larry Izzo, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings. By signing Farwell, the Pats would lock up another position that needs help.
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