Buffalo Bills AFC East Division Rival: Grading the Patriots’ free agency
Last year, the Buffalo Bills were able to knock the New England Patriots off the top of the AFC East mountain. The Patriots with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have run the division for two decades but with Brady leaving for the Bucs, the Patriots struggled.
The Patriots clearly knew they had to get better and being near the top of the league in cap space they were aggressive this offseason. I hand out my grade for the moves the New England Patriots have made in free agency.
Key players re-signed
- Cam Newton (QB)
- David Andrews (C)
- James White (RB)
Free Agent Additions
- Nelson Agholor (WR)
- Hunter Henry (TE)
- Jonnu Smith (TE)
- Matthew Judon (LB)
- Kyle Van Noy (LB)
Key Losses
- Joe Thuney (OG)
The Patriots undoubtedly got better, especially on the offensive side of the ball. They went out and signed a deep threat in Nelson Agholor who can stretch the field and appear set to return to their two-tight end sets with the signings of Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith.
On the defensive side of the ball, they improved the pass rush with players like Matthew Judon and Kyle Van Noy. Last year they finished near the bottom of the league in sacks but with these two players that should improve.
While they didn’t lose many players, the loss of Joe Thuney will be big for this offensive line. He is one of the best guards in the NFL and while they have options in Michael Ownenu and Shaq Mason, this is certainly an area they did not improve.
In the end, all these moves and how this offseason will be viewed hinges on quarterback Cam Newton. This past season he struggled and did not look anything close to the MVP he was in 2015.
Next. Top 5 positions the Bills have invested the most draft capital. dark
If Newton can’t get close to what he was during his time with the Carolina Panthers, it won’t matter how many playmakers they put on the field around him and the Patriots will not be able to overtake the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East.