Dammy Amendola has been compared to Wes Welker. (AP)

Here are five thoughts on Day 3 of NFL free agency and how it has impacted the Patriots to this point:

1. Danny Amendola, a slot receiver who recently found a niche with the Rams, has suddenly become a hot name on the free agent market. Looked at by some as an eventual heir to Wes Welker — the 5-foot-11, 188-pound Amendola is also a Texas Tech guy who was an undrafted free agent, and struggled before finding a home — we asked our pal Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus about the comparisons between Amendola and Welker. He said they share a lot in common:

“The year to look at is 2010, when Amendola had 85 receptions from 114 targets. Like Welker, he worked almost exclusively in the slot and underneath,” Monson wrote. “102 of those targets were from the slot, and Sam Bradford was able to rely on Amendola’s quickness and smarts in between zones to move the chains and keep the offense going.

“Essentially he was Welker-lite at the time, and I think he sparked a trend in the league of teams trying to find their own version of Welker. Amendola is a very similar type of player, and he may even have slightly better hands. But I think he’s a little less impressive an athlete. Welker has quicks that nobody can stick with if he’s given long enough to make a move. Amendola relies more on exploiting holes in zones and being in the right spot, but he can be covered with top players. But in terms of price and age, he’s a natural heir apparent to Welker.”

2. We’ve written and talked about this already, but the fact that the safety market is one of the weakest it’s been in years (both in free agency and in the draft) was driven home when Brandon Meriweather ended up signing with the Redskins on Thursday after taking a couple of visits. While he was never a viable option to return to New England, it takes another available name off the board in what is a rapidly deteriorating group of available bodies. If the Patriots are still looking to find a safety in free agency, there’s LaRon Landry and his giant arms. (Landry will apparently visit New England — is he going to be allowed to bring those biceps on the plane, or will they make him drive to Foxboro?) We have also speculated about the idea of the Patriots going after someone like Jim Leonhard, a veteran who has been banged up the last few seasons but is still regarded as a well-respected presence across the NFL.

3. One of the safeties the Patriots have also kicked the tires on is Steve Gregory, an intriguing prospect who has some positional versatility. We’re finding out more and more about him — he was a corner and a wide receiver at Syracuse, and caught 38 balls for 420 yards as a junior (included in those numbers is a three-catch, 53-yard contest against Boston College). It doesn’t mean that he will be asked to flip to the offensive side of the ball if he signs with the Patriots, but that’s the sort of positional versatility they like in Foxboro. In addition, as Mike Reiss of ESPN Boston has already noted, he was part of a Syracuse team that also had Matt Patricia as an offensive grad assistant — the same Matt Patricia who is now the Patriots’ de facto defensive coordinator.
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Aaron Schobel, seen here terrorizing the Patriots in last year's opener, told the Houston Chronicle that he will retire. (AP)

Defensive end Aaron Schobel has decided to retire, according to a report from John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.

The former Buffalo pass rusher, who has 78 sacks over a nine-year career (all with the Bills), was considered one of the premier defensive players on the market after he was released by Buffalo earlier this month. But despite the fact that several teams had shown an interest in the 32-year-old — a group that reportedly included the Patriots and Texans — he told McClain that he has decided to retire.

“Obviously, it would have been a great place to play, but at point of my career, I’m not going to sit here and tell you how I would have performed,” Schobel told the Houston Chronicle when he was asked about possibly playing in Houston. “I’m not saying I could or couldn’t have played at my best, but I’m just not 100 percent sure.

“I want to be done with it. I’m going to leave it as is. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to play, anyway. I’m going to be 33 in two weeks, and I’m leaving the game on my terms and nobody else’s. I’m just going to leave it alone and retire.”

FOXBORO — If you’re thinking the Patriots are going announce their interest in Aaron Schobel publicly, think again.

While the veteran pass rusher would certainly fill a need with the team, coach Bill Belichick was very strategic with his answer on Monday morning in the first media availability since players were given the weekend off.

Schobel has reportedly been in discussions with the Houston Texans and has indicated an interest in signing there since being given his release last week by the Buffalo Bills.

“Nick [Caserio] and the personnel staff look at all the players that are out there,” Belichick said. “Any player that’s not on the roster, we’ve evaluated. He has some sort of status with us, whatever that category and there are a number of different categories but that’s what the personnel staff does, they look at all the players. The ones that are on other teams, we keep track of them and the ones that aren’t with any team, we keep track of them.

“I’m sure, depending on what his situation is, he would some value to different teams but again that’s all relative to a lot of other circumstances and that would vary from team to team. I can’t speak for other teams.”

Belichick also confirmed that safety Josh Barrett will have shoulder surgery after being claimed on waivers on Friday from the Denver Broncos.

Nick Kaczur and Ty Warren are being evaluated by the team medical officials, Belichick announced Monday. Specifically, Kaczur’s knee injury is of particular concern since the team was hoping that he would be able to begin preseason games playing at left guard, filling in for Logan Mankins, who is in a contract holdout.

“Injury-wise, Ty and Nick both have missed a number of practices and they both are being evaluated our medical staff and we’ll see what comes of that. We just have to wait to get a little bit more information there. Otherwise, I’d say everybody is in a day-to-day situation.”

“We’ll deal with his situation when we know more about it.” Belichick said of Kaczur.

The Super Bowl champ New Orleans Saints come marching into Foxboro today, beginning two days of practices against the Patriots prior to the preseason opener for both teams on Thursday night at Gillette. This marks the first time in nine years Belichick has brought in another team during camp to help with practice. The last time was in 2001 when he invited the New York Giants to camp.

“It’s just part of the whole structure to get your team ready for the the season,” Belichick said. “I haven’t really thought about 2001 too much. We do it against each other and this will be a chance to do it against somebody else, their schemes and players are different than ours, so it just creates some different match-ups and we’ll see it again Thursday night. It gives us a chance to create some situations that may or may not come up during a game.”

NFL officials are also making their annual visit this week to Gillette to inform players and coaches of changes, like moving the position of the umpire during games.

The Patriots have “strong” interest in pass rusher Aaron Schobel, but the former Bill is seeking “big” money, according to Comast’s Mike Giardi. (Giardi quotes a source as saying Schobel’s situation isn’t like that of Junior Seau, who a contract that was below market value to come out of retirement and play for New England.) Schobel, who became available last week when he was released by Buffalo, is one of the best pass rushers currently available — the 32-year-old had 78 sacks over the last nine years with the Bills.

Aaron Schobel has 12 career sacks of Tom Brady. (AP)

FOXBORO — No active player has more sacks of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady than Aaron Schobel. So if Buffalo does indeed plan on releasing Schobel — as ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted Wednesday morning — would New England be interested? The Patriots do have a history of going after guys who have killed them in the past (Wes Welker), and Schobel would certainly fit that description.

But Patriots coach Bill Belichick wasn’t biting when asked about the two-time Pro Bowl end in his Wednesday morning press conference, saying only that Schobel, who has 12 career sacks on Brady, “has given us great competition” in the past.

“Right now, I’m really just focused on our team,” Belichick said when asked about the 6-foot-4, 243-pounder out of TCU. “I’m really just focused on our team. I couldn’t comment. He’s still under contract with Buffalo.

“But obviously, he’s a good player. He’s given us great competition on the field.”

While Schobel joining the Patriots would seem to be a good fit on paper, two noted football numbers men aren’t so sure. In this story I did this morning, Mike Tanier of Football Outsiders and Neil Hornsby of Pro Football Focus say that while the 33-year-old Schobel still has the skills to compete in the NFL, he wouldn’t necessarily work in the Patriots’ 3-4 defensive scheme.

“He had a fine season last year — we have him credited with 30 Defeats, which are stops for no gain, a loss, or short of a first down on third down), which is a high number for a defensive end. His average tackle came 0.2 yards downfield, best in the NFL,” Tanier said of Schobel, who has 78 sacks in nine seasons. “He’s really not a 3-4 player though. He’s not quick enough for outside linebacker, and would get hammered playing as a five-technique end for play after play.”

In other Patriots news, the team released rookie offensive tackle John Wise this morning and signed center Eric Ghiaciuc, who worked out for the team on Wednesday.

Tom Brady is sacked by Aaron Schobel in the 2009 regular-season opener. (AP)

A few years ago, Tom Brady was so excited when Jason Taylor left Miami for Washington, he and left tackle Matt Light “cracked a beer” when they heard the news.

Taylor did abuse Light and Brady whenever he faced the Patriots — from 2001 until the end of the 2009 season, Taylor has 10 1/2 sacks, most of those at Light’s expense — but when it came to getting after Brady, it was Buffalo’s Aaron Schobel who was without peer. In 16 career games against Brady, Schobel has 12 sacks, more than Taylor Joey Porter or any of the other veteran pass rushers the Patriots have faced over the years. (Don’t believe us? Check out this Facebook group.)

So this news should make Brady and Light go looking for a six-pack: In an interview with The Associated Press earlier this week, the 32-year-old Schobel, who has 78 career sacks (second in Buffalo history to Bruce Smith), sounded like a man ready for retirement.

“I’m leaning toward not playing [this year], but I don’t want to make a decision and then change my mind,” the 6-foot-4, 243-pound defensive end told The Associated Press in a phone interview from his home in Texas on Thursday. “For the Bills, I’d just tell them to go on without me.

“I’ve had a decent career. I know the wins and losses weren’t all that fine, but looking back, I wouldn’t change anything I’ve done.”

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