Veteran safety Devin McCourty announcing he’s returning for his 10th NFL season was the first domino to fall for the New England Patriots. The other would be an injection of youth in the defensive backfield, along with finding a potential heir to the McCourty throne.

Look no further than free agency in 2019, which should be a rollicking good time for safety-needy teams.

The Patriots are in win-now mode as long as 41-year-old quarterback Tom Brady can continue to stave off the sure-handed clutches of Father Time. So it would certainly make sense to strengthen the team in specific areas without necessarily resorting to a demolition job.

McCourty staying for another year is a plus for the Patriots, but the mere fact that the 31-year-old defensive back is contemplating retirement is as good as any reason to begin looking for outside help. Safety Patrick Chung, 31, is also getting a bit long in the tooth and coming off surgery after breaking his forearm during Super Bowl LIII.

The Patriots have the option of focusing more on the draft and the development of a new crop of talent at the safety position, or they could go out in free agency and grab a veteran playmaker that could make an immediate impact.

If the team opts to do the latter, here are five safeties they should target in free agency.

1. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Redskins

Former first-round pick Ha Ha Clinton-Dix hasn’t consistently lived up to the All-Pro bar he set for himself during his time with the Green Bay Packers in 2016. He was traded away to the Redskins ahead of the deadline in 2018, and he is set to potentially test the free agent market for the first time in his NFL career.

The Patriots could use another young, hard-hitting safety in the backfield as a rotational piece with Chung. One year under Belichick’s tutelage could potentially unearth the dominant defensive player that was starting to emerge for the Packers.

The issue would be the price for the services of a player of Clinton-Dix’s caliber. There’s still plenty of time for the 26-year-old defensive back to become everything the Packers hoped when they drafted him, and another team out there might be willing to throw big money his way.

If the market for safeties is quiet, however, the Patriots could be an under-the-radar team vying for his services.