Revisiting New England Patriots' Best, Worst Moves of 2017 Offseason
The general perception is that the New England Patriots won the 2017 NFL offseason in a big way. This is a championship team that—at least on paper—managed to improve its roster.
Adding pieces like Brandin Cooks, Kony Ealy and Stephon Gilmore theoretically makes the Patriots an even more complete team than they had in 2016. These are proven players the team added in lieu of question marks in the draft.
Even moves that might seem a little odd on the surface—like letting LeGarrette Blount walk in free agency and replacing him with Mike Gillislee—could prove to be positive. We've all learned that questioning such moves by head coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots can be an exercise in futility.
Of course, not every offseason can be perfect. For as great as New England's looks overall, there were some avoidable missteps.
Here, we'll dig into both the good and the bad of the Patriots' 2017 offseason.
Good Move: Signing Gillislee and Burkhead
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The Patriots said goodbye to running back LeGarrette Blount in free agency. He was responsible for 1,161 yards rushing and 18 rushing touchdowns in 2016, so his loss is notable. However, the Patriots came up with a creative way to replace his production.
Instead of adding one lead back, New England signed former backups Mike Gillislee and Rex Burkhead in free agency. The latter came from the Cincinnati Bengals as a free agent, while the former was stolen from the rival Buffalo Bills as a restricted free agent.
The Bills chose not to match Gillislee's two-year, $6.4 million offer from New England.
Burkhead and Gillislee only saw 175 carries between them in 2016. Yet, they combined for 921 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns. If we expand their combined production to the 299 carries Blount saw in New England last season, it would be roughly 1,573 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Is it fair to make an apples-to-apples comparison between Blount and his replacements? Probably not. Yet, it helps show that perhaps the Patriots had a defined plan for their backfield all along.
Burkhead and Gillislee join multi-dimensional backs James White and Dion Lewis in a backfield that should be as versatile as any in the NFL this season.
Bad Move: Giving Gilmore $40 Million Guaranteed
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Signing cornerback Stephon Gilmore certainly wasn't a bad move. He'll be just 27 years old when the season starts and is coming off his first Pro Bowl campaign. However, New England made a very un-Patriots-like move by overpaying to get him.
The Patriots gave Gilmore a five-year, $65 million deal that includes a ludicrous $40 million guaranteed. This is a lot of money for a guy who has an injury history and doesn't play up to his potential on a snap-by-snap basis.
Yes, Gilmore was a Pro Bowler in 2016. He was also rated just 139th in pass coverage among corners by Pro Football Focus for the season. The Patriots are clearly banking on improvement and improved consistency from the player, but they're going to be out a lot of cash if he doesn't pan out.
Compounding the problem is the fact that signing Gilmore to such a large deal may have hurt the relationship with cornerback Malcolm Butler. Instead of giving Butler a long-term deal, the Patriots will pay him just $3.91 million in 2017 as a restricted free agent.
Butler was initially unhappy with the situation. Even now that he's signed the tender and is moving forward, he doesn't seem thrilled about his contract situation.
"I am just here to do a job and do anything to help the team win. Just moving forward. Whatever happens, happens," Butler said, per WEEI 93.7 FM.
New England had better hope that Gilmore develops into a perennial All-Pro.
Good Move: Re-Signing Dont'a Hightower
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Linebacker Dont'a Hightower was the centerpiece of the Patriots defense in 2016.
While a stellar secondary forged much of the defense's identity, Hightower was the man in the middle, setting plays, chasing ball-carriers and making big plays.
His value to the team was much greater than his stat line—65 tackles, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble—might suggest. His strip-sack of Matt Ryan late in Super Bowl LI also made him a defensive hero.
Yet, the Patriots allowed Hightower to test the free-agent market this offseason. That was a risk, but the Patriots ended up re-signing him anyway. In the end, it proved to be a smart move, as New England essentially allowed Hightower to set his price based on market value.
Ultimately, Hightower was re-signed on a reasonable four-year, $35.5 million contract. New England locked up their defensive centerpiece for the long term and didn't overpay to do so.
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Bad Move: Not Extending Malcolm Butler
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We already mentioned that the Patriots rubbed Butler the wrong way by handing out some proverbial fat cash to Gilmore and giving Butler a mere taste. That's part one of the mistake the team has made with the star cornerback.
The second and more important part is the fact the Patriots haven't given Butler a contract extension at all. They gave him a first-round tender as a restricted free agent in order to keep him for one more year, but he can—and probably will—walk away next season.
That's not a great long-term decision for the Patriots. Butler is one of the best defensive backs in the entire NFL. It's worth noting Pro Football Focus rated him second in pass coverage among all cornerbacks last season. He's also just 27 years old and in the prime of his playing career.
Maybe the Patriots will be able to get Butler to agree to an extension next season. Maybe they will franchise-tag him in order to milk another of his prime seasons out of the former undrafted free agent.
Realistically, though, the smart move would have been to extend Butler this offseason and avoid future drama and the risk of an unhappy player altogether.
Good Move: Trading for Brandin Cooks
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Belichick does a lot of things well, but evaluating and drafting college talent isn't at the top of his strengths list.
Sure, the Patriots have drafted some gems over the years, but they've also had some real duds. Former second-round pick Aaron Dobson didn't pan out at receiver. Dominique Easley was cut two years after being a first-round selection. Cornerback Cyrus Jones was a disappointment in his rookie season last year.
Instead of risking a first-round pick this year, Belichick traded for wide receiver Brandin Cooks. The former New Orleans Saints star is a proven talent who racked up 1,173 yards and eight touchdowns last season.
Cooks is also just 23 years old, which means if he makes the transition to playing in New England, he can be a building block for the foreseeable future. This was a brilliant move because it helps the Patriots' offense now and has the potential to help it for a long time.
This wasn't the only case of the Patriots trading a draft selection for a proven talent this offseason, but it's the most significant. The Patriots also used draft capital to acquire Ealy, Dwayne Allen, James O'Shaughnessy and Gillislee.
Bad Move: Not Making a Decision on Garoppolo
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We're nitpicking a bit here because, internally, the Patriots may have already made a decision on the future of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. As a practical matter, however, they have done nothing.
Literally, the Patriots have done nothing with Garoppolo. They haven't tried to extend his contract and didn't try to trade him before the draft. The latter course of action may have netted New England multiple first-round picks in return.
Yes, the Patriots value Garoppolo as a backup and as injury insurance for Tom Brady. If Brady misses extended time this season, we're likely to call the Patriots geniuses for keeping Garoppolo around. However, not doing something with Garoppolo leaves the team facing a situation next offseason.
Garoppolo is scheduled to be a free agent next year. If the Patriots want to keep him around, they'll have to offer him a long-term deal or use the franchise tag. If they don't, they'll lose him and miss out on the compensation they could have gotten in a 2017 trade.
A lot is going to depend on Brady and how long he really wants to keep playing. That might be awhile, meaning keeping Garoppolo as a long-term backup is probably our of the question.
"I always said my mid-40s," Brady said, per Ian O'Connor of ESPN.com, "and naturally that means around 45."
Garoppolo isn't going to want to stick around as Brady's understudy for five more years. If this is really the plan, then the Patriots may have lost big by not trading him this offseason.
If, however, Brady decides to walk off in the next year or two, Garoppolo will hold all the cards in contract negotiations.
If New England doesn't plan on letting Garoppolo go in the near future, it may have been better to try to ink him to a two- or three-year extension at top-end backup money.
Good Move: Strengthening the Pass Rush
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The Patriots' pass rush was a weakness in 2016. Despite the overall efficiency of their defense, getting to the opposing quarterback often proved problematic. As a team, the Patriots only produced 34 sacks in the regular season. Trey Flowers led the team with 7.0 sacks.
Therefore, it was smart for the Patriots to address their pass rush this offseason. The team got a bit younger by replacing defensive ends Jabaal Sheard and Chris Long with Ealy and Lawrence Guy. They also drafted defensive end Deatrich Wise and edge-rusher Derek Rivers.
Rivers, in particular, could prove to be a steal. The Youngstown State product is 6'4", 248 pounds and ran the 40 in 4.61 seconds. However, he is much more than just a workout warrior, having racked up 58 tackles, 19.5 tackles for a loss, and 14.0 sacks last season.
Rivers is also a guy motivated by the prospect of sacking the quarterback.
"I love to pass rush," River said, via Patriots Football Weekly (h/t the Patriots' official website). "That's my favorite thing.
Rivers will likely be used almost exclusively as a situational pass-rusher in 2017, while the new-look defensive front should bring even more pressure than last year's incarnation. As a result, New England's championship defense should be even better.
*All contract information via Spotrac.com.
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