4 easy ways the New England Patriots can be a competitive team in 2024

Sign edge rusher Leonard Floyd in free agency

Now that the offense has been fixed, we just need some toys for the Patriots defense. New England's defense kept the team in far too many games this season, and the unit just needs a little help to get the Patriots back to being a playoff team. Plus, New England will get Matt Judon back in 2024 after he was lost far too early in 2023 with a biceps injury. One of the few weaknesses on the Patriots' defense was the pass rush, and Judon alone should help fix that.

Adding Floyd, who will be 32 years old at the start of 2024, does two things. One, Floyd will enhance the Patriots pass rush. Two, New England will steal the edge rusher from the AFC East rival Buffalo Bills. Floyd has had at least nine sacks in each of the last four seasons, but he had 10.5 for Buffalo this year.

Floyd is not great against the run, but he is also a bit underrated there. Still, Floyd will likely be a much better fit on obvious passing downs, and he and Judon can form formidable bookends where offenses would have to guess at which one to double-team. According to Pro Football Focus, Floyd won't be overly expensive either. PFF has Floyd signing just a one-year deal for $6 million. The Patriots can easily afford that.

Will all the moves mentioned help make the Patriots much better in 2024? Definitely, and unlike most teams, New England has the draft capital and cap room to make it happen.

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