New in ‘22: Ranking the Patriots Recent Roster Additions
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Some may describe their first two weeks of free agency as ‘uneventful.’ However, the New England Patriots have made some improvements to their roster. Though most of these offseason moves have been to retain some key internal free agents, New England has also brought in some new talent from outside the organization, via trade, as well as free agency. In fact, one of their recent acquisitions is a familiar face to the Foxboro Faithful.
As the Patriots continue their march through the offseason towards the 2022 NFL Draft, let’s take a look at the team’s external additions, ranking them by their potential impact on the Pats’ roster for the upcoming 2022 season.
4. — Ty Montgomery, RB/WR
Montgomery may not be the offensive ‘game changer’ for which Patriots fans had been hoping, he is capable of making valuable contributions on offense, as well as special teams. Throughout his career, Montgomery has amassed 1180 rushing yards on 258 carries with sevens touchdowns. As a backfield receiver, he has compiled 1104 receiving yards on 139 catches with three scoring receptions. Montgomery has also been effective as a kick returner, where he has gained 1,274 yards on 57 attempts, averaging 22.4 yards per return.
Montgomery is coming off a statistically underwhelming season in 2021. He averaged 2.9 yards per carry on 15 rushes and caught 16 passes for 95 yards and zero touchdowns for the Saints. If the Patriots have high hopes for him as a solid contributor as a reserve option on offense, they will need to see signs of improvement, starting in training camp. His special teams acumen may help his case, as he took 48% of the Saints’ snaps a year ago, both as a kick returner and on coverage teams.
With the Patriots, he should be expected to settle into an offensive option on third-down, as well as a backfield receiver. At his best, he can provide solid contributions as a hybrid receiver/running back and kick returner. One duty he is highly unlikely to undertake will be that of punt returning duties. Montgomery's addition could, instead, help to mitigate the losses of running back Brandon Bolden and fullback Jakob Johnson, who both signed with the Las Vegas Raiders. Both Bolden and Johnson were regular contributors both on offense, and special teams.
3. — Terrance Mitchell, CB
While Mitchell is unlikely to crack the starting rotation at the position (barring injury, of course), he will add notable depth to the Pats’ corps of outside corners. In 2021, Mitchell played 14 games in the Texans’ secondary, starting 13 of them as an outside cornerback. He allowed 45 receptions on 76 targets for 556 yards as well as five touchdowns and one interception. One of his three forced fumbles came against the Patriots in Week Five, as Mitchell was able to knock the ball from the grasp of running back Damien Harris during an attempted scoring drive.
When it comes to scheme fit, Mitchell should be able to play multiple roles for New England. During his time in Kansas City, the 29-year-old was used in a lot of one-deep man-coverage schemes. He built upon that experience when moving on to Cleveland, where he was effective in both aggressive man-based schemes (under then-defensive coordinator Gregg Williams) and pattern-match zone schemes under Steve Wilks, who succeeded Williams. In Houston, defensive coordinator Lovie Smith ran a Tampa 2-style zone defense, which provided him with much time on the field. In short, Mitchell is versatile enough to blend into multiple schemes, which the Patriots may employ depending on their personnel in the upcoming season.
2. — Mack Wilson, LB
Wilson began his career as a fifth-round selection by the Cleveland Browns in 2019. The Alabama product played 14 games in his rookie season, logging 82 total tackles (four, for loss), seven passes defensed, one forced fumble, one sack and one interception. For his efforts, he was rewarded with a starting position but Cleveland during his first-year as a pro.
However, Wilson’s playing time steadily began to dip over the past two seasons; decreasing from 88 percent in 2019 to 43 percent in 2020 to 21 percent last season. In 2021, Wilson served primarily in a rotational, off-the-ball role. He played a regular role on special teams, which he maintained throughout that decline. Despite the reduction in playing time, Wilson made the most of his time on the field, earning a career-best 75.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, in just 193 defensive snaps.
Wilson does have his injury concerns. In each of his last two seasons, the 24-year-old has missed at least three games throughout the year. This has been due to an ongoing knee injury which he suffered in 2020. During the 2021 preseason, Wilson was dealing with a shoulder injury, as well.
In the final analysis, there is some uncertainty, but tremendous upside in bringing Mack Wilson aboard in New England. With the Patriots looking to get younger, and faster at the linebacker position, he will clearly help in that regard. In New England’s system, he will project as an inside linebacker, playing off-the-ball. Wilson has the speed and athleticism to earn a starting position.
1. — Malcolm Butler, CB
While Butler’s return to New England for his second tour of duty is a heartwarming story, it is his effectiveness on the field which will ultimately decide its success. The 32-year-old will undoubtedly look to make an impact on the Patriots secondary. Butler spent 2014 to 2017 with the Patriots, logging much of that time as the team’s top player at the position. In his four-years with the Patriots, Butler amassed 205 total tackles, 47 passes-defensed, four forced fumbles [of which he recovered two] and eight interceptions..During his three years with the Tennessee Titans, he continued to play at a high level, compiling 201 total tackles, 35 passes-defensed and nine interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns.
In 2020 [his final season in Tennessee], Butler registered 111 tackles, four (interceptions) and 14 passes defensed. He was among the league’s best cover corners, earning a 75.8 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus, with a 79.8 coverage grade in zone coverage. Butler’s signing seems to indicate that the Patriots will look to utilize more zone coverage in 2022, perhaps as the team’s best option for defending some of the speedy receivers residing in their own division. Still, he projects as one of the team’s primary perimeter corners heading into the upcoming season.
