New England Patriots: 5 Free Agents They Must Re-Sign

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Feb 7, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick holds up the Vince Lombardi Trophy while standing in front of city hall during the Super Bowl LI Champions parade through downtown Boston. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports /

The New England Patriots have a lot of free agents this offseason. Here are the five most important for the Patriots.

It is going to take a while for the shine of the recent Super Bowl victory to dim down but the New England Patriots are getting ready to move on to the 2017 offseason. First things first, the team needs to address their pending free agents. Despite being the defending champions, there are still several key areas on the team which need addressing.

Here are the top five players that need to be retained.

5 – James Develin

Across the NFL, the fullback position is on the way out, however, the Patriots still have a use for their Brown educated, defensive lineman turned fullback. Develin has developed a small cult following among Patriots fans for his no-nonsense style of play and underrated contributions to the team. Having missed 2015 to a broken leg in preseason, Develin returned and helped rejuvenate the running game leading the way for several LeGarrette Blount touchdowns.

His value to the team is not one that is measured on the stat sheet, in fact he only touched the ball three times across the whole season for just eighteen yards. But what is clear is that his teammates love him and he is one of those players that can only be named in New England. That should help the Patriots when it comes to re-signing Develin as he will not be pushing the envelope for a big money contract. Ultimately, this is not a signing that the Patriots will be making their top priority. However, they will need him if want their running game to be effective in 2017.

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