New England Patriots’ free agency: Grading the recent signings
The New England Patriots have made quite a few moves in free agency thus far and should continue to add. Let’s grade some of the signings made thus far.
Well, even though the start was slow, Bill Belichick has pieced together a solid free agency period thus far, and there are still some moves to be made. The biggest move thus far has been signing JuJu Smith-Schuster to a three year deal.
The deal itself is almost identical to the one that Jakobi Meyers signed with the Las Vegas Raiders, so it’s clear that Meyers and the Patriots did not want each other anymore.
Anyway, let’s grade some of the signings made thus far.
New England Patriots’ free agency: Grading the recent signings
1. JuJu Smith-Schuster, B
Smith-Schuster is a 1,000 yard receiver who does have true WR1 upside. It’s clear that the team is effectively replacing Jakobi Meyers with the former Chief and Steeler. I think the signing presents a marginal improvement for the offense and would love if JuJu ended up being the WR2 alongside someone like a DeAndre Hopkins.
2. Mike Gesicki, A
Being able to trade Jonnu Smith was a win in and of itself. To make matters better for Mac Jones and the offense, signing Mike Gesicki after he fell out of favor with the Miami Dolphins is another win. He brings a ton of upside as a hyper athletic tight end. I’d expect Gesicki and Hunter Henry to form one of the best tight end duos in the NFL.
3. Riley Reiff, B+
There might not be a more valuable player along the offensive line than someone who can effectively play both tackle positions. We’ll see what the New England Patriots plan on doing with Trent Brown and if they draft a tackle in 2023, but regardless, Reiff can have a clear impact on the OL unit.
4. James Robinson, B+
Robinson is another player on the roster who has a ton of upside. He rushed for over 1,000 yards during his rookie season and can also catch passes out of the backfield. Losing Damien Harris in favor of Robinson is quite the replacement by Bill Belichick.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Robinson has a few games in 2023 where he get a bulk of the carries as he does have a ton of talent.