The New England Patriots made a flurry of roster moves this offseason, spending far and away the most of any team in free agency. Harold Landry was the first of those major signings after his release from the Titans, and inking him has paid massive dividends.
Landry was Mike Vrabel's second-round pick during his first season in Tennessee. He was a contributor right away, racking up 4.5 sacks in his rookie year. That is his career low to this point, as his peak was a 12-sack season in 2021. He would miss 2022 with a torn ACL, but would have 19.5 sacks across the next two seasons.
Through 14 games, he has 8.5 sacks in New England, with one in each of his last three. He is two sacks ahead of K'Lavon Chaisson, now with the most on the team, and it's becoming increasingly obvious why Vrabel wanted him to be part of this project.
Harold Landry has been a very solid free agent addition for the Patriots' defense
Landry's three-year deal is worth $14.5 million per year, ranking him 25th among edge defenders in terms of contract value. That's in the same range as players like Haason Reddick and Jonathan Cooper, both of whom he has more sacks than.
There's no doubt he's been inconsistent. He started the year with 3.5 sacks in his first two games. He went the next three games without a sack, then had one in each of the next two games. He then went a month without a sack, and has had three in his last three.
The other concern is that 5.5 of his sacks have come against teams in the top ten in sacks allowed per game.
He did, however, have a very solid game against the Bills on Sunday, adding to his sack count for the year. Landry isn't the end-all for the Patriots' pass rush, but he's an experienced and capable veteran who's plenty good enough to be a bookend on the defensive line until his contract expires.
Given his captain status, he's clearly a leader in the locker room and a player teammates can rely on, which is especially beneficial as New England could be in the market to add a first-round edge rusher.
While he isn't the end-all, Harold Landry is more than capable and has been a great addition to this Patriots' defensive line.