With the second wave of free agency coming to an end, and the final big piece of the New England Patriots’ spending period seemingly fallen into place, it is time to take a deep breath for once and assess what has happened since the start of the legal tampering period last Monday. The Patriots, as you may have noticed, were uncharacteristically but not unsurprisingly active over these past two weeks.
They brought 13 new players aboard, or, in the case of Kyle Van Noy and Ted Karras, old players on board again. New England was thus able to bolster a roster that struggled mightily in 2020 and finished with a 7-9 record and out of the playoffs.