The New England Patriots spent some money this offseason on the defensive side of the ball. The big name signings were DL Milton Williams, CB Carlton Davis, LB Robert Spillane, and DE Harold Landry. The Patriots were a bottom-rated defense heading into the offseason, and the strategy was to use free agency to bolster the defense and the draft to find support for QB Drake Maye.
The biggest spend was on Milton Williams. Williams was a key rotational piece for the Eagles in their Super Bowl run, but was a cap casualty for Philadelphia. The Eagles are fortunate that they have enough talent to be able to let go of a piece like Williams, whereas the Patriots were in the exact opposite position, needing to spend to attract a talented player. Williams was ready to take on a full-time starting role, and the Pats were one of a few teams that pursued him this offseason.
Williams wasn't the only major signing, however. The Patriots added Carlton Davis late in free agency to shore up the pass defense opposite All-Pro Christian Gonzalez. While the pass defense did not hold up quite as well as expected in Game 1, that was partially due to the absence of Gonzalez. One of the "lowlights" of the Patriots' first game was the blown 36-yard pass to Dont'e Thornton Jr. Davis is known to be an aggressive defender, and his aggressiveness will be something that the Patriots will look to address in the coming weeks.
Most Impactful Patriots FA Signing Has Been Harold Landry
The most impactful signing of them all, however, may have been former Boston College and Tennessee Titans standout Harold Landry. Landry, being familiar with both the region and head coach Mike Vrabel from his time in Boston and Tennessee, may have helped his transition. While some of the focus in the offseason was on how pass rushers Keion White and K'Lavon Chaisson looked, Landry proved why he was a second-round draft pick coming out of BC.
Landry is familiar with Vrabel's defensive schemes and was brought in to help bolster the pass rush. Landry has multiple seasons of double-digit sacks as well as two additional nine-sack seasons. His signing was not particularly lauded. NFL.com had Landry listed as the 66th most valuable free agent. Compare that to both Williams (No.1) and Davis (No.7), and it appears that the Patriots may have found a steal in free agency.
The 29-year-old defender will need to continue to perform at the same level through the rest of the season if the Patriots hope to compete for a playoff spot. Fans saw the offense sputter in the second half, so keeping games close will be paramount this season. If Landry can continue to apply pressure to opposing quarterbacks, he'll continue to show that he was worth each penny of the Patriots $43.5 million investment for the next three seasons.