NFL Free Agency: New England Patriots Sign Pass Rusher Shaun Ellis

The New England Patriots have been desperate to upgrade their pedestrian-like pass rush, and they finally did with the signing of defensive end Shaun Ellis.

Ellis and the Patriots have agreed to a one-year contract and that is pending a physical, according to ESPN.

The 34-year-old Ellis is a career-long New York Jet, and this move is sure to add fuel to the Patriots' and Jets' already fierce rivalry.

Jets head coach Rex Ryan gave his reaction to the recent news in his Sunday morning press conference:

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"He's a great player, number one. The two years I've gotten to know him, I've really enjoyed him. Tough guy. He's a tough guy. The 'Big Cat' fit him; he's a big, athletic guy. The fact that he chose them, and all that, I think said before, there's no way I'm going to wish him well. There's no chance of that. I wish him to be healthy, but I don't want him to play that well. But he knows. I know the way he is too. He's going to be revved up, ready to go, and our guys will be too. So it will be fun going against him.

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The 12-year veteran has recorded 73 career sacks while accumulating five of those last season. Ellis added 36 tackles to his five sacks in 2010. 

As New England upgrades its pass rush, it also eliminates a player that has been a thorn in its thigh over the years. In fact, in the team's playoff loss against the Jets back in January, Ellis tallied up two sacks that accumulated 16 yards lost. 

Ellis is an ideal 3-4 defensive end that also has some experience in the 4-3, which is certainly a positive as New England has been lining up in four-man fronts quite often in training camp.

The 6'5", 290-pound Ellis will join Albert Haynesworth, Mike Wright, Eric Moore and Ron Brace, along with outside linebackers Jermaine Cunningham, Mark Anderson and Eric Moore to create one solid pass rushing corps.

If Ellis can stay healthy at 34 years old, then he should be relatively productive for the Patriots, which would turn those low-risk contracts into gold.  

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