The Patriots let Browner go after not picking up his roster bonus this week. (USA TODAY Images)
What a week it's been for the New England Patriots.
First they lost free agent cornerback Darrelle Revis to the Jets shortly after free agency opened, setting up a twice-per-year reminder of what it was like to have a championship-caliber player like him on their roster. Guys like Revis don't grow on trees and when they lost Aqib Talib to Denver last offseason, his signing certainly took care of the sting and immediately made the Patriots one of the favorites to play in Arizona.
One year later, just like Talib, he's gone. This time around, this one just aches with no easy cure on tap to make the pain go away.
To make matters worse the Patriots made a business decision to allow Brandon Browner to explore his value around the league after electing not to pick up his roster bonus, and on Thursday he became one of the newest members of the New Orleans Saints, adding another hole to a Patriots secondary that suddenly has gone from elite to in need of some serious help.
With Revis, New England had a guy who could handle his side of the field and allow Devin McCourty to focus on his own job while providing safety help on the opposite side. Now that Revis is gone - barring any significant improvements - McCourty will be back to trying to do his own job and the job of a few other players, which is going to make for a tough season.
Losing Browner is also difficult because the Patriots finally had a player who was physical and did a good job of taking opposing players out of their routes. As much as we all appreciate what Malcolm Butler did last month, that play may not have occurred had Browner not jammed Jermaine Kearse, who was lined up inside and essentially had Butler, who was lined up outside over Ricardo Lockette, blocked out of the play. But Browner immediately got up on Kearse on the snap and cleared a lane for Butler to Jump Lockette's route, and we obviously know how that ended.
But now Browner's out, leaving New England back at square one. They're back to Kyle Arrington (who had a rough outing against Matthews that day), Butler, Alfonzo Dennard, and Logan Ryan among guys in their defense who had any significant snaps in 2014. Each of these guys have had their moments and have been good role players, but none are obviously at Revis' level, and Browner's giant frame made him a different type of player who allowed New England to better deal with bigger offensive players.
Within the Division, the Jets are a team that comes to mind in that regard, with recently acquired receiver Brandon Marshall (6'4"), along with last offseason's acquisition Eric Decker (6'3") providing two big targets against them. Decker finished 2014 with 6 catches (4 for first downs) along with 86 yards against the Patriots in 2014, while Marshall was shut down after catching 3 passes on 10 targets. Revis obviously played a big factor in that total.
Buffalo's Sammy Watkins is 6'1" and Chris Hogan is 6'2". Watkins finished with 84 yards on five receptions (2 first downs) against New England last season, while Hogan had six catches for 75 yards (4 first downs) including a touchdown. You can beat height with talent or you can match-up someone of similar size. Right now the Patriots don't have either.
It would be interesting to be a fly on the wall right now in the front office, but one would believe there must be some sort of a plan brewing. Bill Belichick likely isn't sitting there and shrugging his shoulders while thinking they'll just go with the guys they have after having two guys like that on his roster. Winning a championship makes coaches just as hungry as players to try and win another and after experiencing winning one with those two players, one would believe that they'll be exploring every option. Hopefully they'll have an answer before they start playing meaningful games next September.
PATRIOTS ADD CHEKWA, FREENEY, AND SHEARD, SHOW INTEREST IN MATHIS:
The Patriots made a few moves on Thursday, announcing the signings of free agent CB Chimdi Chekwa, LB Jonathan Freeney, and DL Jabaal Sheard.
Sheard is an interesting addition after being a standout in Cleveland over the past four seasons. During that span he's racked up 23 sacks and could be a terrific addition to a defense that after losing a couple of key defensive backs could use a little help getting after the quarterback.
Freeney was a rookie free agent who has spent the past several seasons as a special teams player and reserve linebacker in Miami, while Chekwa is a player who has spent four seasons in Oakland and is a former fourth round pick who saw limited action and was more of a role player with the Raiders.
Meanwhile, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald the Patriots have expressed interest in acquiring Eagles left guard Evan Mathis in a trade. Mathis would provide a potential replacement in the event Dan Connolly moves on via free agency.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- The Patriots lost another free agent on Thursday, with linebacker Akeem Ayers signing with the St. Louis Rams. Ayers joined New England in October after the team traded for him along with a seventh round pick by the Titans in exchange for a sixth round pick. He finished fourth on the team in tackles for a loss with six including five QB hits, one interception, and also had seventeen tackles.
- Danny Amendola had a solid season for the Patriots after establishing himself as a threat in the return game, before putting together a strong playoff showing that also included a key touchdown in the Super Bowl. On Thursday Jeff Howe of the Herald reported that Amendola restructured his deal to remain in New England, which will now pay him $12.75 million with the chance to earn up to a reported $15 million through incentives. An interesting note, as our own Miguel Benzan of PatsCap.com points out, even after the restructure, Amendola's salary is still more than the $11-million Edelman can earn with incentives.
- Another bit of information pointed out by Miguel was the fact that Sebastian Vollmer earned a $1 million roster bonus Thursday just for being on the roster.
- Looking at Thursday's signing of Freeney, our friend Oliver Thomas points out that the former standout at Rutgers played three seasons alongside Devin McCourty, as well as two with Duron Harmon, Logan Ryan, and Tim Wright.
- Brandon Browner posted a thank you upon the news of his signing. Browner tweeted, "I'd like to thank The Kraft family, Belichick, Matty P, J. Boyer, and the whole Patriots staff and fans. It was a championship ride."
- It appears that Vince Wilfork could be in line for a reunion with former defensive coordinator Romeo Crennell and former Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien. According to Erik Scalavino of Patriots.com, Wilfork is being courted by the Houston Texans. Wilfork became a free agent after New England opted to not pick up the option on the remaining two years of his contract.
- Shane Vereen hasn't been gone very long but he's already made an interesting comment now that he's with his new team. Vereen told the New York Post in an interview that after being with a championship team, he doesn't believe that signing in New York is a step backward. "This is not a step down. If anything, it is a step up," Vereen said.
- We'll leave you with this. Rob Ninkovich posted a pretty funny picture from what he says was a photo from his high school days during "Throwback Thursday" on Twitter. This one should make you smile, and you can view it here.
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