Here's a review of what the Patriots have and haven't done now that the NFL's free agency signing period is in its second week.
Six newcomers have arrived.
Five potential holdovers have moved on.
Seven players have been re-signed.
Three others have been released, the option on another’s contract wasn’t picked up and still another player packed up his bags and retired.
So where do the AFC champion Patriots stand now that the second week of the NFL’s free-agent signing period is upon us?
With the additions of end Adrian Clayborn and tackle Danny Shelton and Jason McCourty – a solid answer to replace Malcolm Butler (Tennessee) at cornerback – the overall defense has improved, but is that enough to offset the losses on the offensive side of the ball where lead running back Dion Lewis (Tennessee), wide receiver Danny Amendola (Miami) and tackle Nate Solder (New York Giants) all left?
In the process, the return game took a couple of hits as well, losing the threat Lewis brought on kickoffs (although the trade with Oakland for Cordarrelle Patterson more than made up for that) and the sure hands and savvy that Amendola provided in fielding punts. On the whole, special teams remain in good hands with Johnson Bademosi lost (Houston), but Brandon Bolden, Brandon King, Rex Burkhead, Nate Ebner, Matthew Slater and, according to reports on Thursday, Marquis Flowers, have all been retained.
On the down side, without question the most damaging loss of all was Solder, although the NFL Network broke the news on Thursday that the team had agreed to a one-year deal with LaAdrian Waddle, who at the very least may be part of the solution.
With Cameron Fleming still on the market, Waddle, who has primarily served in a backup role behind Solder and right tackle Marcus Cannon since he was claimed off waivers from Detroit in December 2015, is now in the mix with the likes of 2017 third-round draft pick Tony Garcia (who spent his rookie season on the non-football injury list after reportedly developing blood clots in his lungs), second-year man Cole Croston and Matt Tobin, the unrestricted free agent who was brought in from Seattle last Friday.
Shifting Cannon from the right to the left side can’t be ruled out (although that might weaken the team at two positions), nor can the possibility that the Patriots will use a high pick in next month’s draft on the position.
While Lewis was lost from the backfield, Burkhead was re-signed, a second look warranted as the former Cincinnati Bengal proved to be an impact-making dual threat when healthy in his first year here. And the team gambled little with the one-year deal it gave another ex-Bengal back, Jeremy Hill.
Amendola? While he never was the second coming of Wes Welker in terms of production, he was as clutch as they come. But Julian Edelman will be back at wide receiver where he’ll be paired with Brandin Cooks, although it remains to be seen how effective the former will be coming off a torn ACL at the age of 32.
As it was heading into free agency, the linebacker position remains a position of need.
Sure, Dont’a Hightower returns from the torn pectoral muscle that limited him to five games in 2017, but his injury-plagued past further accents the need at a position where Derek Rivers is coming off a rookie season lost to a torn ACL and Harvey Langi had his rookie year halted by a car accident. Kyle Van Noy has been better than expected since he was acquired in a deal with Detroit two years ago and Flowers had his moments after being picked up in a trade with Cincinnati, but Elandon Roberts is limited.
Depth at the position has been depleted by the retirement of David Harris and the release of Shea McClellin, but neither of those players made an impact on the field last year (McClellin spent the entire season on injured reserve).
The Patriots did host a linebacker, one who was once one of their own, Jonathan Casillas, on a visit to Foxboro recently, but at this point he remains unsigned.
Even with the assumption that Rob Gronkowski is through playing his mind games with his cryptic messages on social media and intends to return, there is need for depth at tight end where Dwayne Allen was a major disappointment after being acquired in a deal with Indianapolis last year and Martellus Bennett was cut earlier this month. The Patriots hosted another player who was once one of theirs, Asante Cleveland, in Foxboro on the same day Casillas came in, but he, too, remains unsigned and, with one career reception in 14 NFL games to his credit, would be more of a third, than a second, option at the position.