Grading Patriots' Additions in Week 1 of Free Agency

While the world may seem like it's falling apart because of the COVID-19 outbreak and with Tom Brady leaving the New England Patriots, the offseason - more specifically free agency - continues on for all NFL teams.

For the Patriots, they made several moves during Week 1 of free agency, with only 1-2 players left for them to sign before they run out of cap space heading into the draft. While they lost quite a bit of talent to kickstart the frantic part of the offseason, New England also made several under-the-radar moves to reduce the impact made by the departures of several key free agents.

With that being said, let's grade each of the additions made by the Patriots during the first week of free agency.

*NOTE* Not included in this are players who were already on the team but re-signed ahead of the official start of free agency, along with those who were tagged/tendered (ie Matthew Slater, Devin McCourty, Keionta Davis, Joe Thuney, Adam Butler, Jermaine Eluemunor).

WR Damiere Byrd: C+

One of the top priorities on New England's list this offseason is acquiring a pass-catcher of some sort, whether it be a tight end and/or wide receiver through free agency and/or the draft. The Patriots have missed out on several of the bigger-named receivers like A.J. Green, Emmanuel Sanders, Nelson Agholor, and Randall Cobb over the first week of free agency. However, they seem to think they can get something out of Damiere Byrd, who they signed to a reported one-year, $1.35 million contract.

What Byrd has going for him is his blazing 4.2 speed. At 5-foot-9, 180 lbs, he doesn't have a whole lot else going for him. That's why he only has 44 catches to his name in four NFL seasons. As mentioned when breaking down his reported contract details late last week, it's obvious New England is leaving open the possibility of cutting Byrd during training camp if they don't like how he is performing. While getting a player with a skillset that no one else on the roster has makes sense, signing a player of Byrd's talent level seems like a waste of precious cap space this offseason.

DT Beau Allen: A-

With Danny Shelton testing the waters of free agency, the Patriots needed to acquire someone that could start alongside Lawrence Guy on the defensive line. That's why they signed formed Buccaneers defensive tackle Beau Allen to a reported two-year, $8 million contract.

Allen is a run-stuffing interior lineman - just like Shelton - who is coming into New England at the same rate that Shelton signed with the Lions last week. However, assuming that Allen's contract is backloaded - which would make sense given New England is tight on cap space this year - then signing Allen, who actually had a higher PFF grade (72.6) than Shelton last season (70.0), was a great way for New England to save money while also acquiring a similarly talented player.

S Adrian Phillips: B+

The flashiest move New England made in Week 1 of free agency was acquiring former All-Pro safety Adrian Phillips, who they signed to a two-year, $7.5 million contract. The six-time Super Bowl champions needed to find a replacement for Duron Harmon - who they traded to the Lions last week in a salary dump attempt - and they resorted to signing a veteran who missed most of the 2019 season because of a broken arm.

Phillips is very talented and allows the Patriots to get younger and cheaper at the safety position. Those are the pros. The cons are that New England could have done the same by drafting a safety in April. Instead, they used part of their tight salary cap space on a position that wasn't at the top of their priorities list. The money used on Philips could have instead been used on a pass-catcher or even another linebacker. Nevertheless, this acquisition earns a good overall grade because the Patriots signed a great player at a low cost.

FB Danny Vitale: B+

The Patriots signing fullback Danny Vitale foreshadows the end of James Develin's career. The veteran suffered a serious neck injury last season, and at 31 years old it may be time for Develin to call it a career.

Vitale - who spent the last two seasons in Green Bay - is someone the Patriots desperately need if they want to improve their run game in 2020. Without Develin in the lineup last season, New England struggled to find consistency on the ground, which overall hurt their offense. Adding Vitale into the mix, along with another drafted player, could help New England avoid having to throw a LB in at FB like they did last season with Elandon Roberts. That's always a plus.

QB Brian Hoyer: A+

If the Patriots are set on Jarrett Stidham being the next face of their franchise, then they need to at least make him compete and earn his starting job during training camp and the preseason this summer. That's why New England brought in veteran backup Brian Hoyer - who has played five total seasons with the Patriots - on a reported one-year, $1.05 million deal.

Hoyer is a player that could push Stidham for the starting role in New England, but he could also mentor Stidham throughout the process. Hoyer's decade of experience in the NFL has standalone value, which is why him returning to Patriots for just over $1 million is a steal. If something were to happen and Stidham was not the starter, Hoyer would be a serviceable replacement to lead the offense. It would not be a surprise if Hoyer began the 2020 season as the Patriots' starting QB. But a lackluster performance would quickly have him on the hot seat.

LB Brandon Copeland: B

New England has brought in another run-defending linebacker to fill the void left by free-agent LB Elandon Roberts. His name is Brandon Copeland, and he is a former Jet. The Patriots signed Copeland to a reported one-year, $1.05 million deal.

Copeland is someone we mentioned as a target for the Patriots in free agency, and they seemingly heard us out (but not really). He comes at a cheaper rate than what Roberts went for (one-year, $3 million to the Dolphins) and New England can get a bit more production out of Copeland based on each player's 2019 stats. Copeland won't be a full-time starter for the Patriots, who no longer have Roberts, Kyle Van Noy or Jamie Collins. But he can be a productive rotational piece of their linebacking corps.