The New England Patriots were one of the most active teams this past offseason. With several moves made on both sides of the football, New England’s roster received a dramatic facelift. However, some writers are not convinced that this facelift was a flawless one for the Patriots.
Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com pinpointed something that he believes went wrong for the Patriots this offseason. He does not agree with the way the Patriots spent money, particularly at the beginning of free agency. They shelled out top-dollar deals for the wide receiver and tight end positions early on, before making several other moves later.
“Often the poster boys for knowing how to value NFL talent, the Patriots misread the market and got too aggressive in the opening hours of free agency,” Barnwell wrote. “The Nelson Agholor deal is outlandish in context with the deals of more productive players at the same position. Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry are being paid like superstars without any established run at that level. Belichick typically develops players such as Matt Judon, Jalen Mills and Davon Godchaux on the cheap; now, he’s paying them market value deals in free agency. The Patriots are unquestionably better than they were a year ago, but it’s hard to see many places where they got great value.”
With the Patriots going away from their philosophies of player development and not paying top-dollar to free agents, this is certainly a changeup from past years. It will be interesting to see how this pays off in a crowded AFC East.
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