Is Albert Haynesworth a Worthy Risk for Patriots?

COMMENTARY | Football fans like me have to digest more trades than we can handle this week thanks to the end of the NFL lockout. One of them emerged Thursday morning, as the New England Patriots became the unlikely new employer of former Washington Redskin Albert Haynesworth. According to ESPN, Haynesworth only cost the Patriots a fifth-round draft pick in 2013, although the cost could be higher in the end.

In the past, Haynesworth was one of the most feared defensive tackles in the NFL, receiving $100 million from the Redskins because of it. But his tenure in Washington was a disaster, reaching its nadir with repeated clashes with coach Mike Shanahan last season.

As such, the Patriots risk having a big headache on their hands if Haynesworth is at his worst. It would be easier if his skills were worth it, which they were when he was with the Tennessee Titans. Coach Bill Belichick took a similar risk with Randy Moss, and it paid off to the tune of an undefeated regular season in 2007, although the experiment ran its course a few years later.

If there is any team that can lock down on troublemakers, it's the Patriots and their system. But there's no way to know which Haynesworth they will get and how much of a difference-maker he can still be. What's more, the move could look quite inadequate soon if the arch-rival New York Jets can get an even bigger prize in Nnamdi Asomugha.

Since the Jets beat the Patriots in last year's playoffs, have been to the last two AFC title games, and already re-signed Santonio Holmes, New York could be seen as the team to beat in the AFC East. New England will always have a window of opportunity with Belichick and Tom Brady, but it has been getting smaller after the team's last few playoff defeats.

Haynesworth probably won't be counted on to be a game-changer, especially after the last two seasons. But given the help around him, he may not have to be; just keeping his head down and staying out of more trouble could be enough. Since he is now playing for a Super Bowl contender away from Washington and Shanahan, he has no excuse left for underperforming.

The Patriots are risking a lot less on him than the Redskins did, so this could be the kind of low-risk, high-reward move that helped them build their dynasty in the first place. But the big question is whether Haynesworth can help their defense match the likes of the Jets, which might be a tough task -- at least for the Haynesworth the Redskins had.