This past Monday marked the beginning of the 2021-22 NFL season as the legal tampering period had officially begun for free agents. The Patriots’ roster definitely needed to be revamped, but fans weren’t too sure whether Bill Belichick was going to be aggressive or not in free agency. After Monday, saying the Patriots were aggressive would’ve been considered an understatement as the Pats have been able to sign nine free agents to this point. Here is who I believe will be the Patriots best signings to this point:
5. Kyle Van Noy
Before Kyle Van Noy left New England for Miami, he had been a significant part of the Patriots defense and helped them reach three Super Bowls, two of which they won. In Van Noy’s one season with the dolphins, he recorded 49 solo tackles and six sacks, not too bad. However, the Dolphins felt he didn’t bring enough to their defense and decided to cut him. Therefore, he eventually decided to return to the Patriots, where he will likely assume the exact same role he had when he left.
4. Jonnu Smith
The first splash the Patriots made in free agency was to fill the gaping hole they had at tight end. Last season, Smith had 448 receiving yards for eight touchdowns. Smith is a big red zone threat, and for a team who struggled throwing touchdown passes a season ago, he will be extremely valuable in the red zone. Coming in with $12.5 million AAV over four years, the Patriots are definitely expecting him to be a big part of the offense going forward.
3. Nelson Agholor
Last season with the Los Vegas Raiders, Agholor had a career season with 48 receptions, 896 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns. That’s good enough to immediately be the number one receiver on the Patriots, but in reality, his skill level is that of an exceptional number two receiver. He does fill arguably the biggest hole the Patriots have, which was receiver depth. He does come at a bit of a hefty price of $12 million a year, but the Patriots were clearly desperate to get help at wide receiver, and that is what they did.
2. Matthew Judon
The Patriots have arguably one of the best secondary’s in the NFL, however the play of their linebackers seemed lackluster last season. Now with the addition of Kyle Van Noy and the return of Dont’a Hightower, adding a player like Matthew Judon makes them arguably one of the best set of linebackers in the league.
1. Hunter Henry
If the addition of Jonnu Smith wasn’t enough, how about adding one of the best tight ends in the league? Last year, Hunter Henry struggled a bit with injuries but was still productive with 60 receptions for 619 yards and four touchdowns. He was signed for the same amount as his new teammate Smith at $12.5 million AAV and should be a significant piece to the Patriots offense in the future.
The patriots have undoubtedly made a ton of moves a saw season, and if they were done making moves, I would give them an off-season grade of an A. There are acquisitions thus far have made the Pats relevant once again in the AFC. Obviously, they don’t have a perfect roster as they still need a number 1 wide receiver, and they could use a bit of help at quarterback. With all that being said, for being less than a week into free agency and there being some significant names still available, the Patriots are off to a flying start in 2021 and they may not be done quite yet.