Patriots' Early Report Card for Most Impactful Offseason Decisions

The New England Patriots used the first wave of NFL free agency to re-sign a handful of veteran players.

Devin McCourty, Trent Brown and Ja'Whaun Bentley agreed to short-term deals over the past week to provide security at their respective positions.

McCourty's experience in the secondary will be especially critical with the Patriots moving on from their second star cornerback in two years. J.C. Jackson signed with the Los Angeles Chargers as a free agent after Stephon Gilmore was traded to the Carolina Panthers during last season.

Brown provides experienced protection for Mac Jones on the offensive line. He will be the anchor of the unit that lost Shaq Mason in a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Ted Karras to the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency.

Bentley was the Patriots' leading tackler last season, and he should be the focal point of the defense for years to come.

New England's overall offseason grade is incomplete because it needs to land some depth at wide receiver and offensive guard, among other positions, but the three key re-signings will be important to its success in 2022.

Trent Brown

Mary Schwalm/Associated Press

Contract Details: Two years, $22 million ($4 million guaranteed) 

New England took the smart approach with Trent Brown's two-year deal.

A majority of the contract is tied to Brown's playing time, with only $4 million of the deal guaranteed.

Brown is one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL when he is on the field, but he only played in nine games during the 2021 campaign. The 28-year-old has not played a full season since 2018, the first one from his first stint with the Patriots, and he has played in only 25 games over the past three years.

The Patriots agreed to a reasonable price to have a veteran anchor on the offensive line, but re-signing Brown is not the only offensive line move they need to make.

New England has to revamp the interior, with both Mason and Karras departing the franchise. The Patriots could either make those improvements in the second wave of free agency or in the opening stages of next month's draft.

Grade: B+

Devin McCourty

Doug Murray/Associated Press

Contract Details: One year, $9 million 

Devin McCourty's return is important both on and off the field for the Patriots.

McCourty has a deep knowledge of New England's defensive system, and he should help out the new starting corners.

New England still has Jalen Mills and Joejuan Williams under contract, and Terrance Mitchell was brought in as a veteran addition to the secondary to help the Patriots deal with Jackson's departure.

McCourty will be a stabilizing force from the safety position, and he is vital to helping the young players acclimate to the franchise off the field.

The 34-year-old's return made sense from a lot of angles, as long as he is not considered to be the final answer to reconfiguring the secondary.

New England's overall grade in the secondary will be determined by the final unit that is in place to take over for Jackson.

Grade: B+

Ja'Whaun Bentley

Kyusung Gong/Associated Press

Contract Details: Two years, $9 million

New England struck a bargain deal with its leading tackler from last season.

Ja'Whaun Bentley's new contract will only cost the Patriots up to $4.5 million per year.

Bentley led the Patriots with 109 tackles in 2021. He had 91 tackles over 13 games in 2020.

New England got a great deal to retain the services of a high-volume tackler at the linebacker position.

Bentley's numbers could improve in 2022 with new signing Mack Wilson flanking him at outside linebacker.

Matt Judon and Wilson will be important to the New England pass rush, which should leave more tackling opportunities for the fifth-year linebacker.

If Bentley plays the way he did in 2021 over the next two seasons, the fifth-rounder out of Purdue could be in line for a much larger deal the next time he hits free agency.

Grade: A