Looking At Patriots' Free Agency Moves So Far.

Recent Patriots' history of Free Agency.

  New England Patriots are not about making a splash in free agency. They are certainly not about wowing us fans in free agency. Bill Belichick other than last year, usually makes moves for players on the second day of free agency. That's when the market settles down, and that's when teams get players at the right price. As in, a team doesn't have to overpay for players to prevent them from signing with some other team. Patriots have been very consistent in free agency for the past ten to fifteen years. They have signed or traded for other teams' busts or mediocre players and turned them into solid players for themselves. In free agency, Patriots have added players like Rodney Harrison, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Chris Hogan, Danny Woodhead, Dion Lewis, LeGarrette Blount, Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner, and so many more. All these players were either coming off with one of the worst seasons in their careers or they were just cut by their teams because they were never productive for them. When they came to New England, they ended up going a lot further than they did with their former teams.

  Every year, once the free agency period is over, experts and fans state that the Patriots' dynasty is over, and their next season is going to be a down season. Remember what the people were saying about the Patriots after the 2013 free agency in which, they lost several key players on offense? In 2013 offseason, the New England Patriots lost Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd, Deion Branch, and Danny Woodhead. People started saying that Belichick was intentionally trying to sabotage Brady's season, as Brady lost four of his six favorite targets from the 2012-13 season. Patriots signed Danny Amendola as a free agent to replace Wes Welker in the slot receiver position. A lot of us fans weren't so happy about Amendola's signing as he was nowhere close to the caliber of a player that Welker was, and he was never healthy. Things got even worse in the offseason as Patriots had to release Aaron Hernandez, who was Brady's one of the two remaining favorite targets from the previous season, as he was accused of a murder. Then according to some people, it was confirmed that the Pats' dynasty was surely over. Ah, not really, as the Pats like prior season went 12-4 and made a third straight trip to the AFC Championship game. Brady didn't have the numbers from the prior season, but he did enough on offense to get them twelve wins. Patriots' defense also played well. So the Patriots in 2013 didn't have an overall down season. This year they are expected to have a down season, as they lost four key players and added few mediocre players to their roster. Let's take a look at the players who the Pats lost in free agency.

Four solid players left New England.

  We could definitely say, Patriots lost a lot more with four guys this year, then they did lose with four guys in 2013 free agency. In 2013, Patriots weren't coming off with back to back Super Bowl trips and winning two of the last four Super Bowls. The four players that the Patriots lost, played a big part in all three Super Bowl trips in the past four seasons. First, the Patriots lost Danny Amendola, one of their two slot receivers. Then the Patriots lost Malcolm Butler, their best or second best corner from last season. After that, Patriots lost Dion Lewis, their top rusher from last season. Finally, they lost Nate Solder, Tom Brady's rock at left tackle since 2011. Patriots will surely miss each one of them next season as they all were great soldiers to the team.

 

Danny Amendola in his first year with the Patriots didn't get to do enough, as he was struggling to build a chemistry with Tom Brady on the field, and he also missed a good amount of games. After that, he became a fan favorite in all of the New England region. He also became Brady's go-to guy besides Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski. All of his best games came in the playoffs. Four of his best games as a Patriot were; Divisional Round in 2014 against the Baltimore Ravens, Super Bowl 49 against the Seattle Seahawks, Super Bowl 51 against the Atlanta Falcons, and AFC Championship game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In all those games he caught at least one touchdown and several third and fourth down conversions. His reception on 3rd & 18th in the fourth quarter against the Jaguars stands out to be the most epic one, as in that game Brady and the offense struggled to move the ball for the majority of the game, and they really needed to make a play at that moment to stay alive. For such clutch plays, Amendola was able to earn the name 'Danny Playoff Amendola.' Tom Brady and the Patriots really enjoyed Amendola's service in his five years with the team. Now he's gone and the Patriots are going to miss him. However, Patriots have Julian Edelman coming back next season, and they still have several other solid pass catchers on offense.

  If it wasn't for Malcolm Butler making the incredible play on the goal-line, Tom Brady wouldn't have been able to win his fourth ring in the 2014-15 season. When he came to the Patriots as an undrafted rookie from West Alabama, he was the team's fourth or fifth corner. Not many fans knew about him until the Super Bowl game against the Seahawks. Bill Belichick put a lot of trust in Butler and put him in the starting cornerback rotation to play against the Seahawks' offense in the fourth quarter when the game was hanging in balance. After the incredible interception to seal Super Bowl 49 for the New England Patriots, Malcolm Butler was able to win the number one cornerback spot for the Patriots. He was the team's number one corner for the past three seasons and did a decent job in his role. In my opinion, had he played in this past Super Bowl against the Eagles, he could have certainly made an impact in the game and changed the outcome of it. Him not playing in the Super Bowl confirmed his exit from New England. Losing him is not going to be that bad for the Patriots, as they have Stephon Gilmore and they just added Jason McCourty to the cornerback depth chart.

  Dion Lewis was a nobody when the Patriots signed him as a free agent before the start of the 2015 season. Honestly, I didn't get to read or hear about his signing with the Patriots. It was one of those signings for which NFL didn't write a column on its site. You get to read about such signings on google or New England Patriots' local columns. In that same offseason, I was upset with the Patriots letting go of Shane Vereen who set the record for most catches in a Super Bowl game against the Seahawks. Then in the first game of the 2015 season, Dion Lewis popped on everybody's screen. In his three seasons with the Patriots, he made many jaw-dropping plays. His ability to catch, run, and then make defenders miss, always had fans say "wow did he just do that?" Last year was his best year with the Patriots, as he led the team in rushing with 896 yards on five yards per carry. Lewis is one of those guys a team doesn't want to lose, but the Patriots couldn't afford to give him the money that he was asking for. Patriots might not miss him much as they still have James White, who could do a lot of things which Lewis could. Patriots were also able to re-sign Rex Burkhead and add Jeremy Hill to the roster. So the Pats should be good at the running back spot.

  The toughest loss for the Patriots in the free agency period was Nate Solder. Simply because of the position he plays makes it a tough loss for the Patriots. Left tackles are hard to find. A very good left tackle who started for the team for six straight seasons can't easily be replaced. Patriots were able to replace their former left-tackle Matt Light with Nate Solder, now they gotta find a replacement for Solder. The Patriots will most likely find Solder's replacement in the first or second round of the draft. As I mentioned earlier, Solder was a rock to Tom Brady at the left tackle position. He didn't make a single pro bowl in his time with the Patriots, but he always protected Tom Brady and kept him straight in the pocket. Solder leaving for the New York Giants leaves a big hole in the Patriots' offensive line. Filling the holes left by Amendola, Butler, and Dion could easily be filled by other players on Pats' roster, but replacing Solder is going to be a very tough challenge for Bill Belichick. Hopefully, Belichick and the Patriots find a decent replacement at left tackle.

  Besides losing Amendola, Lewis, Butler, and Solder, Patriots also let go of Alan Branch, Shea McClellin, and Martellus Bennett. All those guys contributed for the Patriots in the past two seasons, especially Bennett, as he played a huge role in the 2016-17 season when Gronk was out for the last ten games of the season. However, Bennett and the other two guys were expected to be let go by the Patriots so then they could create some space in their cap-room. I also expected the Pats to let go of Mattew Slater after they traded for Cordarrelle Patterson this past Sunday, but just hours ago the Patriots resigned Slater to a two-year contract. That's good news for the Pats. One bad news for the Patriots' fans is that the Pats still have Dwayne Allen on the roster. Belichick just cut him. He only had ten catches the entire year!

New Faces in New England.

  So far in the free agency, Patriots haven't added any big names to their roster and most likely they won't. However, they have added three former first-round players and one former second-round player. The three former first-round players are Danny Shelton, Adrian Clayborn, and Cordarrelle Patterson and the second-round player who the Pats added to their roster is running back Jeremy Hill. Along with those former first and second round players, Patriots were also able to add another smart veteran with Jason McCourty. Let's see what each one of them is going to bring to the roster.

  Danny Shelton was a great pick up for the Patriots' defense. Didn't come to the team as a free agent, but on a trade with the Cleveland Browns. He is only 24 years old and is going to be a force in the middle of the Patriots' defensive line. Shelton along with Patriots own former first-round pick, Malcolm Brown, could form a dynamic duo at the defensive tackle position. Two of them have potential to completely dominate the opposing teams' run game by filling holes in the middle of the trenches. Besides stopping the run game, he could also help the defense in the passing game by drawing two guys on him, and let one of the defensive ends get to the quarterback in a hurry. Look forward to seeing him in a Patriots uniform next season.

  Not sure what to make up of Adrian Clayborn's signing. He is a former first-round draft selection, so he certainly has the talent. However, two teams have let go of him in the past eight years. If he was that good of a player, he wouldn't have been let go by two teams. Still, if Clayborn stays healthy and plays like he did last year for the Atlanta Falcons, he is going to be an upgrade for the Patriots' pass rush defense. He had nine and a half sacks last year, with six of them coming in one game against the Dallas Cowboys, in which Clayborn went up against Chaz Green. Clayborn is coming to the Patriots on a two-year deal, so there is no big risk involved in his signing. Hopefully, he doesn't turn out to be like Kony Ealy turned out to be for the Patriots. Ealy after the Patriots traded for him, didn't even get to make the team at the start of the 2017 season. Pats' fans expect Clayborn to be as good or better than what Chris Long was to the Patriots in the 2016-17 season.

  Jason McCourty like Shelton came to the Patriots on a trade with the Cleveland Browns. New England Patriots tried to get him last year, but due to the difference in contract money, Patriots and McCourty's agent couldn't get a deal done. Here in New England, he's going to team up with his twin brother Devin and will get to play as the team's number two or three corner. McCourty will bring in experience and intelligence to the Patriots' secondary that struggled significantly in the Super Bowl against the Eagles, in which the defense allowed 41 points. Even with adding McCourty to the roster, I expect the Patriots to add another corner in mid third or fourth round.

  I really like the addition of Jeremy Hill to the Patriots' offense. Indeed he is not Le'veon Bell, or Ezekiel Elliot, or Todd Gurley, but he could definitely be a better version of LeGarrette Blount to the Patriots' offense. I expect him to carry most of the workload from the backfield. If he does struggle, Patriots could always go back to James White, Rex Burkhead, or Mike Gillislee. Could he be a disappointment? Yes, but just like Clayborn, Patriots didn't sign him to a long-term deal. Hill will be playing for the Patriots on a one-year deal for $1.5 million. What if he rushes for 1000 yards? That could happen and if it does, he is going to be the steal of this year's free agency. I see him having somewhere between 700 to 1000 rushing yards for the Patriots next season.

 

The third trade Patriots made in the first week of the free agency was for Cordarrelle Patterson. The Patriots traded away their 2018 fifth-round pick to the Oakland Raiders for Cordarrelle Patterson and the Raiders' 2018 sixth-round pick. In 2013, Patriots traded away their first-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings for more picks. With that first-round pick, the Vikings selected Patterson. Five years later he is now with the Patriots. Awesome right? So how should the Pats' fans feel about Patterson? I say that should be thrilled with this move. He is electric and can be a game changer every now and then. Patterson will mostly be used on special teams as a kick/punt returner. He could really help the offense with the field position. For instance, if the Pats need a field goal with less than a minute to go to get back in the game, he could make life easier for the offense by returning a kick or a punt to the 30 or 35 yard-line. That would mean Brady and the offense would need to pick up two to three first downs to get into field goal range. Special teams play a huge role in a football game, and Cordarrelle Patterson is really going to help the Pats' special teams. Plus, he could come in handy on offense too. I like Patterson going up against the opposing teams' third or fourth corner. Just imagine how the defenses are going to cover the Patriots' offense on a play in which they are going to have Jules, Gronk, Cooks, White, and Patterson on the field? Someone is going to get wide open on that play. If Patterson or Cooks get wide open on the play, it is going to turn into a big touchdown play!

Moves are good but, need some more work to be done.

  Pats' fans are still upset about what happened in the Super Bowl over a month and a half ago, but these moves should cheer them a little bit. These new bodies are going to bring a new feeling and energy to the locker room. With that said, Patriots still need to nail this upcoming draft in April. If they can't nail it, then they should at least pick up two to three solid players, especially at left tackle. New England Patriots hold seven picks in this year's draft, with four of the first hundred picks. They hold a first round pick, two second-round picks, and a third-round pick in the top one hundred selections. In my opinion, Bill Belichick should go for a left tackle in the first round, one of his second-round picks on a future quarterback, and then the other five picks should be spent on defense. The New England Patriots should be in great shape for next season if they get a solid offensive tackle and at least two decent defensive players in this year's draft.