There were a lot of rumors heading into free agency surrounding the New England Patriots. Everyone and their mother knew Malcolm Butler wasn’t returning to Foxborough. Who would replace him? Richard Sherman was the talk of the town when rumors spread that Seattle was shopping him. Fans got excited that perhaps they would get Aqib Talib back from Denver. Well, neither will be wearing a Patriots uniform this season, but there will be a few new faces and numbers.
Trades
After not trading for Aqib Talib, the Patriots made two trades with the Browns, one with the Raiders and of course a high profile one with the Rams. Adding to the secondary, New England brought in former Rutgers cornerback Jason McCourty from Cleveland. McCourty has a twin brother who’s been playing in Foxborough his whole career, Devin. The twins will share the same field on the same team for the first time since playing for Rutgers.
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In another trade with Cleveland, the Patriots acquired Danny Shelton, a defensive lineman. He’ll pair nicely with Malcolm Brown and bring depth up front. Shelton, a former first-round pick, only required a third-round pick in next year’s draft in return. The potential for Shelton to have a bounce-back year is there, especially in joining the Patriots.
With the departure of Danny Amendola to Miami and the risk of losing special teams captain Matthew Slater, the Patriots sent a fifth-round pick to the Oakland Raiders for former first-round pick Cordarrelle Patterson. The wide receiver and kick returner may be able to fill roles both on special teams and on the offense. Often used in jet sweeps, he can fill the role of Brandin Cooks in the run game, and will likely replace Dion Lewis returning kicks.
In the biggest move of the offseason for the Patriots thus far, Brandin Cooks was sent to the LA Rams for the 23rd overall pick in the upcoming draft. Cooks ended up being a one-year rental that moved the Patriots up from pick number 32 last year to 23 this year. His production is replaceable, having caught 65 passes from Tom Brady, especially with the return of Julian Edelman and Malcolm Mitchell.
Free Agent Additions
To add more depth to the defensive line, the Patriots signed former Falcons DE Adrian ClaybornClayborn had a career high in sacks last year, posting 9.5. He’s another former first-round pick that the Patriots have added this offseason. He signed a two-year contract with New England and brings competition to the defensive line in camp this year.
Replacing Dion Lewis is no easy task, but the Patriots signed Jeremy Hill for at least part of the job. The former Bengal also brings a bigger presence to the New England backfield, standing 6’2″, 236 pounds. On an economic deal for the Patriots (one-year, $1.5 million) Hill will look to have a comeback year after being placed on IR last season with an ankle injury and ultimately losing the starting job to rookie Joe Mixon.
Adding depth and competition for training camp, the Patriots signed former Eagle and Bill, Jordan Matthews on a one-year deal. The pipeline of Buffalo to New England seems to remain open, as players look to join a winning team. Matthews, who missed most the season last year, is another player looking to make comeback this year. He also adds size to a relatively small wide receiver corps at 6’3″, 212 pounds.
Heading into the Draft
As it stands, the Patriots have been fairly active this offseason. They still have needs to fill in the draft at the end of this month. The Patriots depth chart has gotten a boost in some places and moves have covered certain needs. Focus in the first few rounds can be given to a quality tackle to replace Nate Solder who left for the Giants and an heir to Tom Brady. A quality linebacker could also be an early target for New England, as well as a potential replacement for Rob Gronkowski at tight end.