NFL Rumors: Patriots Must Sign Brandon Lloyd to Compete in New-Look AFC East

The New England Patriots need to sign wide receiver Brandon Lloyd if they have any hope of maintaining their spot on top of the AFC East.

The division just got real serious really quick, and it all hinges around the Buffalo Bills signing star defensive end Mario Williams.

This wasn't just any old signing, mind you. Williams brings 241 career tackles and 53 sacks to the Bills defense—one that was already pretty opportunistic—and he arguably makes the Bills one of the more dangerous teams in the league.

They have an explosive offense—remember their hot start last year—a formidable defense with the addition of Williams and they stand to get much better through the 2012 NFL draft.

What does this mean for the Patriots?

The Patriots need to make a move that will allow them to keep up with the Bills in the AFC East. Yes, they're the defending AFC champions, but the league dynamic is changing in a big way, and we still don't even know were Peyton Manning will end up.

The Patriots are a great team, but they do have some weaknesses. Thankfully, according to Shalise Manza Young of Boston.com, the Patriots are close to signing a player that will remedy one of those glaring weaknesses, Brandon Lloyd:

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A league source Friday night said that the 30-year-old Lloyd and the Patriots were “close’’ to coming to a contract agreement. Once it’s finalized, the team could potentially have the outside-the-numbers receiving threat it has been lacking since Randy Moss was traded a quarter of the way into the 2010 season.

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This would be a huge acquisition for the Patriots, and I dare say they need to make it happen.

If we learned anything about this offense in the 2011-12 season, it's that they needed a deep threat.

The bunch of Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez was excellent, but in the end, having a wide receiver who could stretch the field vertically and to the sidelines was really what this team needed.

Lloyd fits the bill in that department—4,784 yards and 31 career touchdowns—and he's very comfortable with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

Signing Lloyd, along with some defensive help and a good draft, would be the perfect way for the Patriots to show that they are indeed the class of the AFC East.

The Bills have gotten a lot better, but even that defense would have a hard time stopping Brady with a guy like Lloyd added to his offense.

The Patriots need to make this signing happen.