The New England Patriots have shown little desire to retain their own free agents this offseason. Only one of their 15 signings since March (Jaylinn Hawkins) was one of their own free agents, while four have signed with other teams and the other five remain unemployed heading into the NFL Draft.
But with the draft bringing a major shift in the offseason, we could be about to see another one of those former Patriots re-up in New England.
JaMycal Hasty may not be someone who played (or will ever play) an especially crucial role in the Patriots' offense on Sundays, but he's the kind of player that teams like to have around — especially in training camp. He's also exactly the kind of player that teams typically like to wait until after the NFL Draft to sign.
The Case for the Patriots Re-Signing JaMycal Hasty
Heading into the draft, roster spots are at a premium. Teams want to make sure they have space to sign not only all of their draft picks, but also any potential undrafted free agents that catch their eye. Nobody wants to miss out on a top UDFA because they had just signed a depth piece/special teamer like Hasty.
But once the dust is settled, teams immediately turn their attention to filling out depth at positions of need while they work to finalize their training camp roster.
So why Hasty in particular?
The 28-year-old has the ideal blend of experience and youth for a veteran in the running back room. At a position where players are typically nearing the end of their career by the time they turn 30, you don't get many long-tenured vets who can be leaders. So, a guy with five years of NFL experience who has played for a few teams can be a really solid presence.
He's still a viable contributor when he's needed as depth as a passing-down back, too.
He does his primary work as a receiver, and while admittedly his actual receiving stats (60 catches for 375 yards and 2 TDs over his career) aren't great, it's his blocking that really matters. When you're in a situation that involves giving snaps to an end-of-the-bench RB, simply having him able to help you avoid disaster (i.e., protecting your franchise quarterback) is a top priority.
Young running backs are notorious for struggling in pass protection. It's also a hard job to step into midseason, since it requires a significant understanding of what the offensive line is doing in front of you. And Hasty nailed it in 2024, earning a stellar 85.4 pass blocking grade from PFF. It was over a small sample, of course, but he also earned a solid grade of 73.9 in 2022, which was the season in which he played the most snaps of his career.
And on top of that, Hasty brings value on special teams, having played over one-third of the available special teams snaps when active in each of his last three NFL seasons.
This isn't a guy who will make headlines, and plenty of fans would probably mock the signing (especially if the Pats don't draft any RBs), but re-signing Hasty and giving him a chance to compete on the training camp roster would make a lot of sense.