The New England Patriots are short on starters after the first few days of free agency. Let’s start at quarterback. You’ve probably heard Bill Belichick is making changes at the position, which has been stable — an understatement? — for 20 years.
Quarterback Tom Brady, G.O.A.T. and six-time Super Bowl champion, is joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He didn’t even know where he was going when he announced he was leaving New England. He just knew he was leaving.
While Brady would be a big enough loss for the Patriots, their departures have been significant. Matt Patricia has long had interest in getting the Detroit Lions’ paws all over former Patriots. Already boasting Trey Flowers and Danny Amendola on the roster, Patricia added linebacker Jamie Colins and defensive tackle Danny Shelton this week. Belichick also traded safety Duron Harmon to the Lions in an exchange of late-round picks. (The move was a Patriots’ salary dump.) Former Patriots defensive play-caller Brian Flores added linebackers Kyle Van Noy and Elandon Roberts and center Ted Karras to the Dolphins’ depth chart. Former Patriots special teams coach Joe Judge added Nate Ebner, a special teams ace.
Woof. I’m out of breath. Did I get everybody? That’s right, nine starters are leaving New England.
Surely, the Patriots have been active in replacing these starters, right? Not exactly. New England spent most of their remaining cap space to retain Matthew Slater, Devin McCourty, Jason McCourty and guard Joe Thuney. Those were four starters they apparently couldn’t live without. And then they added two free agents. That’s right. Belichick spent some money on an out-of-house player. (But not much money.) The Patriots added receiver Damiere Byrd and defensive tackle Beau Allen.
Who?
Considering the Patriots had the oldest NFL roster in 2019, they don’t actually have a ton of youth coming up in the system. And to make things worse, the Patriots’ draft cache isn’t as stocked as they’d like. They have four selections in the first 100 picks, but their three third rounders fall between picks 87 and 100. It’s not quite as sweet as it sounds.
But this is what Belichick does. He acquires players like Van Noy for late-round draft picks, and he turns them into $51-million men. He signs Jamie Collins at the low-point in his career, and revitalizes his career. Belichick even got his six-time Super-Bowl-champion quarterback in the sixth-round of the 2000 NFL Draft. While Brady’s career is, of course, unrepeatable, Belichick has a history making something out of nothing. Once he’s done that, he also has a history of letting his best players leave, particularly when they’re at the ends of their careers and likely to decline. And then the coach is on to the next player that everyone else is picking over. Somehow in free agency, Belichick finds what others cannot: a bargain.
It doesn’t look good for the Patriots — right now. In fact, with Brady gone, it has never looked quite so bleak. But Belichick would remind folks that the NFL season doesn’t start until September. He is likely to make it work while acquiring no-names and helping them make a name for themselves. The Patriots aren’t rebuilding — they’re restocking, retooling, rearming. That process is slow. It requires patience. With Brady leaving, it will be harder than ever. But it’s not like Belichick to give up. This feels like a certain Super Bowl when he was down 28-3.
Can he pull off a comeback, even without Brady?
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