The New England Patriots came under some criticism on Monday for a relatively slow start to the legal tampering period of free agency, but they have certainly picked up the pace a bit since.
In fact, according to Spotrac, as of Thursday the Patriots have now spent the fourth-most money in free agency this week in terms of total contract value. Wide receiver Romeo Doubs (4 years, $68 million) has been the biggest splash, but there was another smaller deal on Wednesday that WEEI's Jones & Keefe really liked: the addition of veteran safety Kevin Byard on a 1-year, $9 million contract.
Byard is 32, but he still played at a very high level for the Chicago Bears last season, earning First Team All-Pro honors for the third time in his career. He also has history with Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, having played for him in Tennessee.
Rich Keefe declared that with the addition of Byard, the Patriots now have the best group of defensive backs in the NFL.
"I think you have the best secondary in the NFL now," Keefe said. "Your corners are good, corners are really good. And [Craig] Woodson really emerged by the end. Arrow up on him. ... And so now if you want to take, like, your top five defensive backs, your starting two safeties, your two corners and your slot corner, who was also great all year, I think they have the best secondary in the league."
As Keefe alluded to, that starting fivesome now features Byard and Woodson at safety, Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis as the outside corners, and Marcus Jones in the slot. It's a group that was already a strength last year, and now has Byard replacing Jaylinn Hawkins, which is certainly an upgrade at least on paper.
Adam Jones is a fan of the Byard signing as well.
"I think that was such a predictable and obvious move, but I also like that move a lot," he said. "It was a day one signing, quote-unquote, in free agency. He's a veteran. How much does he have left in the tank? Good question, but he was productive last year for the Bears. He's a veteran. I think it's a good pair with Craig Woodson, like a veteran next to him. And a guy who you know understands Vrabel, understands Vrabel's system. So yeah, I thought for what it was, a one-year deal for a 30-plus-year-old safety, I thought that was a really good signing yesterday."
The show also graded the Patriots' offseason so far, with Keefe giving it a B+ and Jones a B. Both agreed that trading for wide receiver A.J. Brown could push it to an A, while noting that the offensive line could still use a little more help as well.