The Patriots still aren’t done.
This of course, is only one singing in a list of many for the Patriots who have been more active than any other team in the NFL. They have also signed Nelson Aghalor for a 2 year, 26 million deal, Jonnu Smith on a 4 year, 50 million deal, Kendrick Bourne 3 year, 22.5 million dollar contract, and are bringing back Cam Newton on a one year extension.
The Patriots will also see numerous guys coming back who opted out last season including Patrick Chung, Danny Vitale, Brandon Bolden, Donte Hightower, among others. So, will all these new signing bring the Patriots back to glory? One would have to imagine all of those names equate to at least one singular win.
Nelson Aghalor revitalized his career last year with the Raiders, with a career high 896 yards and 8 touchdowns. Jonnu Smith posted a carrer high 9 touchdowns last year.
The reality of the situation is that it all falls on Cam Newton. The former MVP simply hasn’t been good. Since his MVP season, he has only posted over 3,500 yards passing once and never went above 25 passing touchdowns.
We all knew that someday he would not be able to run the ball like he did in the beginning of his career. Running will always be apart of his game but that week one performance was an absolute fallacy. It is not without reason that the Patriots are still on the market for a QB. Their name has been linked to Mac Jones who many predict will be taken by the Carolina Panthers in the number 8 spot since Matt Rhule coached him in the Senior Bowl. We all know what Belechek has done in the past when it comes to traditional pocket passers. Jones threw for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns, and only 4 interceptions on a 77.4% completion percentage. His biggest knock will always be that he isn’t a very good athlete. Does that sound a little familiar? While I am not going to compare Mac Jones to Tom Brady, their game is obviously quite similar.
Another challenge next year is something they are not used to, competition. The Bills showed massive development last year going from a fringe playoff team to Super Bowl Contenders. They lost last year mostly because due to inexperience on the big stage. With the sting of a Conference championship fresh on their mind, they won’t be handing over the division easily. On paper, the Bills are still the better football team. Josh Allen is better than Cam Newton and Stephon Diggs is better than any receiver the Patriots have, regardless of who they have signed this year. The same thing can be said about Tre-Davious White. If they won’t be able to take the division from the Bills, they’ll have to rely on a wild card spot. Have they done enough to overthrow the Dolphins, Raiders, Browns, and Ravens? I think the Dolphins and Raiders is obvious choices but I am not confident they can overthrow the Browns, Colts, or Ravens. Cleveland will most likely be their top option although it is conceivable the Steelers fall off the face of the earth and they won’t have to worry about it. I believe the Patriots still have a little bit of cap space flexibility so we will see if the big spenders have more up their sleeve.
