The Patriots were big spenders in free agency, but some of their moves went under the radar. They signed Josh Dobbs to be an experienced backup quarterback, Mack Hollins to rotate in with the wide receivers, and a personal favorite signing, K'Lavon Chaisson, on a one-year prove-it deal.
The 26-year-old is a former first-round pick and was a National Champion with the iconic 2019 LSU Tigers. He hasn't lived up to the first-round billing and has been particularly disappointing as a pass rusher in the NFL.
Collegiately, he recorded just nine sacks, seven of which came in his final season. The Jaguars thought they could parlay his SEC talent into the NFL, but he notched just five sacks in four years during his time in Jacksonville.
Last season, he signed with the Raiders and improved in a major way. He matched his career total for sacks in one season: five. He ranked joint second on the team with former Patriot Adam Butler last year. Despite Chaisson's lack of success early on, there's no doubt he's coming around given last season's play.
Given this, ESPN names Chaisson as the Patriots' "nonstarter to know" in their recent article.
K'Lavon Chaisson has big time upside for the Patriots' defense
There's an argument that edge is the Patriots' biggest defensive weakness. Despite the additions of Harold Landry and Chaisson, the group still leaves something to be desired. Anfernee Jennings is a tremendous run stopper, but has 5.5 career sacks. Rookie Bradyn Swinson is an intriguing prospect, but to expect immediate production seems hopeful. Keion White will play as more of a down lineman given his weight.
The additions don't necessarily inspire on the edge, but they should on the interior. Milton Williams was the marquee addition, and Christian Barmore will return after playing two games last year. Pockets will collapse and allow edge defenders to rack up sacks on scrambling QBs.
Offensive lines will also put a premium on protection from the interior, so edge defenders will have the opportunity to pass rush on an island. Chaisson ranked 26th among edge defenders last season with a 74.7 PFF pass rush grade despite ranking 63rd at the position in pass rush snaps. In the event of an injury to Landry or Jennings, Chaisson will be the next man up to help bracket an excellent interior defensive line.
There's no doubt Chaisson is a volatile player. There's a world where he could reach double-digit sacks, but there's also a possibility he regresses to his play in Jacksonville. Either way, a one-year deal for the former 20th pick in the draft is a worthy gamble with plenty of upside.
As of now, I'd slot him behind Landry and Jennings but ahead of Swinson. Should Swinson perform, however, there's a possibility that a different LSU talent will steal the spotlight. In preseason and through the winter, keep an eye out for K'Lavon Chaisson.