The New England Patriots surprised the rest of the NFL with the number of moves they made. It’s clear that New England doesn’t want to repeat the mediocrity that they had in 2020.
These types of moves seem extremely uncharacteristic for Bill Belichick and the Patriots. The team that is known for not spending money decided to break out the checkbook on Monday.
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With the moves that the Patriots made on Monday, they realized that they had to improve in some key areas. While it’s just one day, they sure filled a lot of holes that they had.
Besides bringing in new talent, the Patriots also managed to re-sign Deatrich Wise Jr. With Wise being a quality pass rusher, New England’s defense is looking like they will cause lots of problems for opponents in 2021.
So let’s get to the top signings from Monday.
Patriots: 3 best signings of Monday’s free agency frenzy – No.3: Jonnu Smith
One of the Patriots best moves of the day came at the beginning of it. New England signed Jonnu Smith to a four-year deal to kick off the day.
This deal showed that the Pats weren’t playing around. Smith’s deal is worth $50 million. Also, Smith is still relatively young at the age of 25. He is a player who can make an impact for years to come. New England needed to get younger and that’s exactly what they did.
After the disaster of last season with Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene, New England filled a major hole in their offense by signing Smith. He is a dynamic tight end who can help out in the running game, but also is capable of making some great catches.
In 2020, Smith had 41 catches for 448 yards and eight touchdowns. If Smith can match or even exceed that production in 2021, Pats fans will be more than happy. Seeing that Asiasi, Keene, and Ryan Izzo combined for 18 catches for over 250 yards and a touchdown.
Smith is a player that will boost New England’s offense just by being present. No matter who is under center, the Patriots needed more targets in the passing game and that’s exactly what they got.
Patriots: 3 best signings of Monday’s free agency frenzy – No.2: Matt Judon
The Patriots didn’t just need help on offense. They also need to improve on defense if they want to have a better season in 2021.
New England’s pass rush wasn’t the best in 2020. Chase Winovich was the leading sack getter with just 5.5 sacks. It seems like New England might have fixed that problem by acquiring Matt Judon.
Judon has had at least 5.5 sacks for the majority of his career. In 2020, Judon had six sacks and 50 tackles.
Last season we saw opponents run all over New England. The signing of Judon ensures that won’t happen.
When you look at the names that New England will have in the front seven, there is reason to be excited. Dont’a Hightower will make his return after sitting out the 2020 season and will be alongside Ja’Whuan Bentley. Also, you have Josh Uche who can set the edge along with Judon.
But New England was not done yet. Their biggest acquisition came in the secondary.
Patriots: 3 best signings of Monday’s free agency frenzy – No.1: Jalen Mills
The Patriots biggest acquisition has to be Jalen Mills. This acquisition showed that New England wasn’t playing around. They want to win and they want to now.
Mills is a great player who can do it all. Last season he had 74 tackles, an interception, and 1.5 sacks. He is extremely versatile with his ability to play safety, cornerback, or even linebacker at some points.
Once again Mills will be a player that helps out New England’s run defense but he can also make some plays defending the pass. It seems the Patriots finally found their replacement for Duron Harmon.
Mills is a game changer who is still young. He is entering the prime of his career and will help New England in a major way.
This also likely means that Stephon Gilmore is long gone. J.C. Jackson and Mills can definitely handle things by themselves and don’t need Gilmore.
So it’s safe to say that Monday was a great day for Patriots fans. Now all they have to wonder is what else is in store?