MORSE: Thoughts on Day 2 and Day 3 of Patriots Free Agency
Patriots Free Agency: Unpacking the Key Signings and Strategic Decisions from Days 2 and 3
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The Patriots have done very well in Free Agency with 4 impact players acquired. On Wednesday, the Patriots were being criticized for two signings that were not star players. However, the signing of EDGE DreMont Jones and FB Reggie Gilliam are upgrades at positions of need. The early signing of Jones turns out to be below the EDGE market. He is better at setting the edge against the run than K’Lavon Chaisson. He isn’t the speed rusher that Chaisson is, but they had the same number of sacks. Pressure is more important to Zak Kuhr.
Gilliam is a brute fullback the team didn’t have last year, and will definitely help the run game. Gilliam makes the Patriots a tougher team. Chris Price posted this quote on X: “A guy that plays football the right way. Doesn’t care about the stats. Doesn’t care about his name being in the paper.”
Late Monday night, they took a big swing for the fences and signed Left Guard Alijah Vera-Tucker. When healthy, he is a top 4 Guard in the league. The big question is whether he can stay healthy. He has missed significant time in 3 of the last 4 years. This is a huge risk that has a tremendous possibility of high reward. There will be nothing in between. He is either going to be a High-Cost bust or a potential Pro-Bowl player. This helps both Jared Wilson with his transition back to Center and helps Will Campbell with a veteran presence next to him. Vera-Tucker has a huge $250K Roster Bonus for every game in his contract. That’s $12.7M of this contract. This is a hedge by the Patriots if he gets hurt. That is the most by any player in NFL history. Vera-Tucker will make the line better as both a run and pass blocker.
Romeo Doubs WR – 4 years $68M – $80M with incentives ($17M AAV) #49 in PFF Top 250 Free Agent Ranking – PFF Grade 77.0 for the 2022 4th Round (132) selection by Green Bay, who will turn 26 in April. The 6’ 2”, 204-pound WR out of Nevada runs a 4.52 40. This is what PFF had to say: “Doubs profiles as a solid No. 3 receiver for most NFL offenses, having earned PFF receiving grades above 70.0 and averaged more than 1.60 yards per route run in each of the past three seasons. He has consistently won at the catch point, hauling in 45 receptions on 91 contested targets since entering the league. Over that same span, Doubs has graded in the 80th percentile against single coverage and the 68th percentile in yards per route run, reinforcing his value as a complementary pass-catcher.”
NFL Draft Buzz profile when he came out in the draft in 2022: “Doubs profiles as a solid No. 3 receiver for most NFL offenses, having earned PFF receiving grades above 70.0 and averaged more than 1.60 yards per route run in each of the past three seasons. He has consistently won at the catch point, hauling in 45 receptions on 91 contested targets since entering the league. Over that same span, Doubs has graded in the 80th percentile against single coverage and the 68th percentile in yards per route run, reinforcing his value as a complementary pass-catcher.”
Doubs has had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons at Green Bay with 80 receptions last year.
Anfernee Jennings Released
This is the 1st move that the Patriots have made that I totally disagree with. Jennings played very well in Harold Landry’s absence. Combined with Elijah Ponder’s emergence as a pass rusher, the Pats had the right side covered if/when Landry gets hurt. I don’t believe Landry will even be ready to start camp. Landry can’t be cut because the team would still be on the hook for $19M against the cap. Jennings will turn 29 in-season, and I am sure that was a factor, but his $4M contract should not have been an issue. For a guy who was rumored to be cut before the 53-man roster was established, Jennings went on to have a good year and was named honorary Captain for the AFC Championship. The move creates $3.8M in Cap Space. An educated guess is that the Patriots have at least $37M available in Cap Space.
I thought that he would sign a 3-year contract for somewhere near $9M a season. Instead, after the premium pass rushers depressed the market, he pivoted and signed a 1-year $12M contract. Perhaps a smart move on his part because the Draft is loaded with Edge rushers. Chaisson will team up with fellow Free Agent signee Odafe Oweh to form a formidable pass rush. When the Pats signed DreMont Jones, it was obvious that Chaisson wasn’t coming back.
The Patriots have reportedly agreed with LB KJ Britt on a one-year contract. The in season 27-year-old played at Auburn and was a 2021 5th Rd (176) selection by Tampa Bay. Last season he played for Miami and excelled on Special Teams with a total of 35 Tackles. In 2024 he had 72 Tackles for Tampa Bay. Britt stands 6’ 240-pounds and ran a 4.76 40-yard dash. In 2020, he was selected 1st Team All-SEC. This is a depth signing and a replacement for Jahlani Tavai.
The 33-year-old (August) is a terrific signing.
PFF grade: 80.3 – PFF on Byard: “Byard has been a stabilizing presence for the Bears since arriving in Chicago. Since the 2024 season, he has produced an overall PFF grade of 78.1 along with an 89.8 PFF run-defense grade. He has also remained impactful in coverage, recording a league-high seven interceptions this season. At 32, Byard stands out as one of the top safeties on the free-agent market due to his consistent playmaking across the field.”
Pats Pulpit Bernd Buchmasser: The 32-year-old Byard is a bit on the older side, but he has not shown any signs of slowing down. He remains a ballhawking presence in the secondary, is capable of playing the deep field exceptionally well, and was a respected locker room presence in both Tennessee and Chicago. Add the connection to Mike Vrabel and a solid price tag and you get a very good pickup capable of making a major impact.
This gives the Patriots the #1 secondary in the NFL. Byard is a savvy veteran with great ball skills. His 7 INTs led the league last year and had 8 Pass Breakups. The 5’11” 218-pound S is a 3X All Pro, 3X Pro Bowl and has never missed a game in his career. His PFF grade of 80.3 is 15th of 98 Safeties in the league. He is also a sure tackler with 77 Tackles last season. This means the Patriots will be selecting a Safety in the draft with the opportunity to learn from one of the best. Byard played for Vrabel at Tennessee and was a likely signing because of this familiarity. Byard is a strong leader and this was a great signing.
It’s a 2-year $10M contract. His contract is well below the market because of the glut of safeties available in Free Agency and the high number of good safeties in the draft. The Patriots were in negotiations with Hawkins but decided to go with Byard. The Byard signing spelled the end of Hawkins’ time in New England.
Pats Sign Mike Brown S (TEN) – Terms 1-Year ($ TBD) – Signed originally by Mike Vrabel in Tennessee. 6’1”, 218-pound Safety was Undrafted in 2022, and played at Miami of Ohio. The last two seasons, he played 80% and 76% of the Special Teams plays. He was also the Personal Protector for the punter. He ran a 4.59 40 at his Pro Day and a 7.00 3-cone drill. I see him as a special-teams-only player. In 2025, he played in 9 games with 3 Tackles. Mike Reiss added this, “after not being tendered a contract as a restricted free agent in Tennessee. Brown is a hard hitter whose primary contributions figure to come on special teams (e.g., he was the personal protector on the punt team), and he’ll add depth.”
Pats Sign Julian Hill TE (MIA) – Terms 3-years ($ TBD) Pats Pulpit wrote: “Hill, 25, spent the past three seasons with the Miami Dolphins. The 2023 undrafted addition out of Campbell has appeared in 45 games, including 26 starts, during his time in the AFC East. Primarily utilized as an inline blocker, Hill has 33 receptions for 288 yards in his career. He has seen 1,298 snaps on offense and 496 snaps on special teams along the way. He stands 6’ 4”, 251 pounds, and ran a 4.68 40-yard dash. Last season, he started 15 Games and had 15 receptions for 140 Yards and 0 TDs. Mike Reiss had this to say about Hill: “He was not tendered as a restricted free agent. The Patriots obviously see something in him to give him a three-year deal.”
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Right on Mark about Dremont Jones. When the Pats struggled vs the run (not a lot) it was at times due to edge play and safety run support. Dre’Mont Jones is a physical edge. Jones pressures the pocket and holds the edge. Chaisson wasn’t great at holding the edge. So an upgrade. Byard brings in a physical run support guy. The Pats got better on D. Especially the run. On offense, the TE Hill looks good on film. He’s 3 years into the league, young and a solid physical hitter. Hill and Gilliam can both run and block in space.… Read more »