New England Patriots Receive Low Grade for Stephon Gilmore Signing
By Nick Ziegler
The New England Patriots made a big splash when they signed cornerback Stephon Gilmore. What grade did they receive for the signing?
It is very rare for the New England Patriots to spend a lot of money in free agency, but that is exactly what they did with Stephon Gilmore.
Gilmore has been a very good cornerback for the Buffalo Bills in recent years, but the five-year, $65 million deal might have been a bit pricey. Last season, Gilmore was ranked as the 61st cornerback in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus. The grade of a 73.2 wasn’t all that impressive, and it was down from his previous two seasons.
Even though he had a down season in 2016 with the Bills, Gilmore is a true No.1 corner in the NFL. As of now, the Patriots still have Malcolm Butler, as they could be one of the best duos in the NFL if Butler isn’t traded.
Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus recently graded the signing of Gilmore for the Patriots. The Patriots received a fairly low grade of a C for the signing of Gilmore. Here’s what Monson had to say about the deal.
"Gilmore is one of the few corners in this free-agent crop capable of manning a No. 1 role for a defense, so he was always going to get big money, but his PFF play-earned contract figure shows just how far short of his reputation his play has been at times over the past few seasons. In 2016, Gilmore allowed 60.3 percent of passes thrown his way to be caught, and was beaten for 15.6 yards per catch."
The low grade for the Gilmore signing comes because of his down season in 2016. Seeing the Patriots hand a player coming off a down season is a bit surprising. However, Gilmore has graded out well the two previous seasons.
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With the uncertainty surrounding Butler, having Gilmore as his possible replacement is good insurance to have. If the Patriots decide not to trade Butler, their secondary will be ridiculously tough in 2017.