John Lynch
John Lynch With the loss of Pro Bowl safety Rodney Harrison to a season ending leg injury, the Patriots are on the hunt for a replacement.

An obvious option would be for the Pats to look no further than the player they cut almost two months ago, veteran, John Lynch.

The former Buccaneers and Broncos star was cut by the Patriots just before the season started and after Lynch was reportedly seen at Logan Airport, speculation that he'll be rejoining the team has begun to swirl.

Also, just a few weeks ago, espn.com reported that Lynch has been having trouble coping with life outside of football and is eager to continue his NFL career.

When Lynch was cut in August, all parties said they
were open to his return. Now with Harrison out for the year and possibly done for his career, it would seem to be a no-brainer to re-sign Lynch.

The upside to bringing back Lynch would be that he could almost seamlessly slide into a role as veteran and emotional leader on the defense. He's certainly still a sure tackler and would help against the run.

On the other side of the coin, Lynch struggled in pass defense last season. Opposing offenses would surely try to isolate him in man coverage.

Let's face it. John Lynch is the kind of player Bill Belichick would trust. Something like that would be hard to find on the waiver wire or among other available free agents. It is more likely than not that Lynch will be in New England soon.