The New England Patriots 2014 Free Agent Signings Analysis

The New England Patriots do enough in the off season to win the AFC East?  The New England Patriots in-depth analysis of the free agents signed and players lost for the 2014 NFL season. Will these additions help The New England Patriots win the AFC East in 2014?

The New England Patriots made the playoffs again. Not a hard thing to do in the AFC East, but 15 out of the last 20 years is a definite achievement that can’t be overlooked. The Patriots drafted weird again but that is par for the course. Belichick does nothing conventional. Read my article, 2014 New England Patriots NFL Draft Report Card and Player Analysis and see what I thought of their draft picks.

Perennial Changes

The Patriots lost 9 players to free agency and signed 6. I personally think the signings were amazing and shows that Belichick is pushing hard for a run at the Super Bowl. Signing CB Darrelle Revis and CB Brandon Browner instantly upgrade the Patriots secondary to star status. The return of FS Patrick Chung makes up for the release of FS Steve Gregory and will fit nicely with SS Devin McCourty. 10 year veteran DE/LB Will Smith finally gets signed by Belichick. The Patriots have been following and wanting this player since the 2004 draft and tried getting him in 2009. Some teams never lose sight of a player they like. He will bring some heat on opposing QBs and can also be an asset playing against the run. Big pick up for the Patriots defense. The final piece to Belichick’s puzzle was getting another possession receiver in Brandon LaFell. He should enjoy playing catch with Tom Brady. Even though the Patriots lost LB Brandon Spikes and CB Aqib Talib, they have an upgraded roster and their secondary is a direct answer to Denver’s Peyton Manning and their aerial game.

Players lost in the off season to other teams

• LeGarrette Blount, RB–4th season, signed by The Pittsburgh Steelers
• Dane Fletcher, MLB–4th season, signed by The Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Tyronne Green, OG–6th season, signed by The Dallas Cowboys
• Cory Grissom, DT–Rookie, signed by The Kansas City Chiefs
• LeQuan Lewis, DB–2nd season, signed by The Arizona Cardinals
• T.J. Moe, WR–Rookie, signed by The St. Louis Rams
• Matthew Mulligan, TE–5th season, signed by The Chicago Bears
• Brandon Spikes, MLB–4th season, signed by The Buffalo Bills
• Aqib Talib, CB–6th season, signed by The Denver Broncos

Players signed in free agency from other teams

• Brandon Browner,CB–3rd season, signed from The Seattle Seahawks
• Patrick Chung, FS–5th season, signed from The Philadelphia Eagles
• Brandon LaFell, WR–4th season, signed from The Carolina Panthers
• Darrelle Revis, CB–7th season, signed from The Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Will Smith, DE/LB–10th season, signed from The New Orleans Saints
• Dax Swanson, DB–2nd season, signed from The San Francisco 49ers

Can The New England Patriots make it to the playoffs in 2014?

I am going to say NO, they can’t. The AFC East is a changed division this year. Miami made some great upgrades and had a strong draft. The Jets present problems for The Patriots so winning the division will pose some challenges. The first is the schedule, they have the first 4 out of 6 games on the road. Not a great way to get started. They also play Denver at home the week before the bye week. They play Buffalo on the road and then have to face The Jets at home on the that Thursday. That short week can be a disaster. Last year the Patriots finished with a 12-4 record and can see them going 10-6 this year. I don’t see Brady making it through the entire season. He has been lucky to escape injury the last 5 years and his luck just won’t hold out. I see the Miami Dolphins winning the AFC East this year with the Jets second and the New England Patriots third.