With the 2014 NFL Draft roughly a month away, here is a quick review of the Patriots’ offseason activity, focusing on the changes in the secondary.
Key Additions
Darrelle
Revis
The
Patriots made a big free agent splash by signing Revis to a one-year, $12
million contract, just hours after the five-time Pro Bowl cornerback was released
by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The
deal also includes a team option for the 2015 season (this option year will
almost certainly not be picked up), consisting of a $7.5 million base salary
with a $12 million roster bonus and $500,000 in per-game roster bonuses.
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| After one season in Tampa Bay, Revis Island will now be located in Foxborough, MA. (USA TODAY Sports Images) |
The
Patriots acted quickly upon the release of Revis from the Buccaneers, who were
unable to complete a trade with either the Cleveland Browns or the Oakland
Raiders, the two interested parties in acquiring Revis. Once the “Revis
Island Sweepstakes” switched from a trade bargaining operation to a free agent
bidding war, the Patriots became the “logical” choice for Revis.
"It's
basically about just winning," Revis said after joining the Patriots, via ESPN.com. "I weighed my options and I just wanted to win.”"I
felt like this is the right place. What better organization than the New
England Patriots to be a part of?"
Revis
will be utilized as the lockdown press defender against the opposing team’s top
receiver. The eight-year veteran earned three first-team All Pro honors (2009,
2010 and 2011) and was named AFC Defensive Player of the Year in 2009 after
finishing the year with 72 total tackles and six interceptions, then as a
member of the New York Jets.
While not posting a stellar season
statistically, Revis still was named to the Pro Bowl in 2013, despite playing
in an unfamiliar zone defense as he recovered from his ACL surgery from a year
prior.
Brandon
Browner
The
Patriots were not finished bolstering their secondary after inking Revis to a
contract. Complementing Revis in a potentially ferocious secondary, will be Brandon Browner.
The former member of the Super Bowl champion Seattle
Seahawks, Browner is known for his raw, imposing physicality that is unmatched
by any cornerback in the NFL. At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Browner is a superb
tackler against the run and in the open field.
There
is some major baggage that comes with Browner, however. He was suspended
indefinitely by the NFL in December for multiple violations of the NFL’s
policies on performance-enhancing substances, denying him a chance to play
during the Seahawks’ title run. Browner will complete the suspension by sitting
out the first four games of the 2014 season.
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| Will Brandon Browner revive his career in New England? (Lindsey Wasson/SeattlePi.com) |
Diminishing
speed is a major concern as well for the former Canadian Football League player. He will likely lose any foot race to wide receivers with
above-average speed. It should also be noted that Browner was supplanted by Walter
Thurmond and Byron Maxwell in the Seahawks’ secondary last season.
One
thing to watch for is whether Browner will be switched out of his usual spot
as the right cornerback and moved into strong safety, a position that is
currently of weakness for the Patriots.
Key Departures
Aqib
Talib
Talib
defected to the rival Denver Broncos
at the start of free agency. While terms of the deal were initially said to be
a six-year, $57 million contract, Talib joined the Broncos on what is
essentially a three-year, $27 million agreement. Mike Klis of The Denver Post highlighted the details of Talib’s contract:
“That
last three years were what the industry often refers to as phony money because
rarely do players collect the back-end of such contracts. This is really a
three-year, $27 million contract. Still, $9 million a year isn’t bad.”
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| Aqib Talib introduced as a member of the Denver Broncos. (John Lebya/ Denver Post) |
Steve
Gregory
Gregory
was a cap casualty at the start of the offseason. The strong safety was
scheduled to earn $2.25 million in base salary in 2014 and in total the Patriots will
save $2.85 million on their cap by releasing him.
Gregory’s
release hinges Duron Harmon as the
next-man-up on the depth chart at safety. Harmon, drafted in the third round in
2013 by New England, started three games as a rookie while Gregory nursed a
broken thumb. Overall, he played in 36.9 percent of the defensive snaps last
season, recording 31 tackles and two interceptions.
Other Notables
(Re)Signing
Patrick Chung
In
an odd and debatable move, the Patriots elected to bring back Patrick Chung. A second round pick of
the Patriots in 2009, Chung spent four seasons in New England, before bolting
to the Philadelphia Eagles on a
three-year, $30 million contract via free agency. Chung lasted just one year
into the deal, before being cut at the end of the season. He was unable to
force a single turnover last season, looking lost in the Eagles’ secondary.
Even
with history in the Patriots’ defensive system, Chung will presumably need an
impressive showing in training camp to make the roster.
Cutting
Adrian Wilson
In a decision that came to the shock
of little, the Patriots cut Adrian
Wilson. The five-time Pro Bowl safety signed a three-year, $15 million deal
last offseason. However, he was placed on season-ending injured reserve at the
end of last year’s preseason. The 34-year-old never played a single snap for the Patriots.
