New England Patriots v Philadelphia Eagles
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The first wave of free agency in New England primarily consisted of the club making major splashes by bringing in outside talent. Once that phase of the free-agent period started to simmer, Bill Belichick and company got to work retaining a number of key players that were on the roster during the 2020 season. The latest is starting defensive tackle Lawrence Guy, who is finalizing a deal with the Patriots that will keep him in Foxborough for the next four years (pending a physical), according to Mike Reiss of ESPN. The financial terms to Guy re-signing with the team were not immediately disclosed. 

Guy -- who entered the league as a seventh-round draft choice of the Packers in 2011 -- has been with New England dating back to 2017 when he signed a four-year, $20 million deal with the club following a three-year stint with the Baltimore Ravens. Over the past four seasons, he has proven to be an extremely valuable piece at the center of Belichick's defense and was able to help the club beat the Los Angeles Rams back in Super Bowl LIII. In all, Guy's totaled 235 tackles, seven sacks and 27 quarterback hits over his tenure. Last season, the 31-year-old notched 57 tackles and two sacks over 14 games played. 

Bringing Guy back into the fold now gives New England quite the defensive line for the 2021 season. Along with his re-signing, the Patriots also brought back Deatrich Wise and signed Henry Anderson and Davon Godchaux. Adding those big bodies -- along with third-year defensive tackle Byron Cowar --  should make the Patriots a much-improved club against the run next season after allowing 131.4 yards per game on the ground in 2020 (seventh-worst in the NFL). 

Guy is just the latest re-signee for the Patriots, who also came to terms with center David Andrews and running back James White recently.