Yeah, I guess. But in the end, they have all their draft picks because they didn't trade any of them. Second round pick used on Trask. There's a price for every player, including good players on rookie deals who won't count that much against the cap. I just thought they could have maximized their all-in window better; I had thought Brady was playing a few more years.
But I think the biggest problem is they overrated their own players like Barrett and Smith...I mean, look at how horrible Smith was when exposed without Wirfs and against a tough Rams front. He looked like a practice squad player. $15M each for Smith and Barrett...imagine if they'd thought outside the box a bit and tried for truly elite players there, willing to part with picks if necessary, rather than "keep the band together;" I was pretty vocal from day one that keeping the band together is a dumb approach in the NFL.
Yes, injuries/AB did play a bit role in their loss, but I never thought they ascended to the level of which they were capable all season. They had some injuries, but they simply weren't a dominant team even when mostly healthy. Dominant teams are too good to lose to Washington and the Saints twice.