Outside of New England, you could hear the groans coming from every other NFL city, especially those with teams in the AFC and particularly those in the AFC East. As the New England Patriots continued to turn over their roster this month, loading up even more, the jealousy surely had to intensify.
The Patriots won their fifth Super Bowl with Bill Belichick as coach and Tom Brady as quarterback in early February, but then they followed it a with a heck of a March, one that only enhances the notion they will win it all again.
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | They still have concerns rushing the passer, but little else is a worry as they head to the start of the 2017 season. | -- | 1-2-0 | |
2 | Adding defensive tackle Dontari Poe and pass rusher Jack Crawford will help their defense improve after that crushing Super Bowl loss. | -- | 2-1-0 | |
3 | They added two tight ends in Martellus Bennett and Lance Kendricks, but the biggest signing was bringing back pass rusher Nick Perry. | -- | 2-1-0 | |
4 | They will again be explosive on offense and while they didn't add much, the defense will be better because of experience. | 1 | 2-1-0 | |
5 | They didn't do much in free agency, but as long as Derek Carr is back healthy they will be fine. | 1 | 1-2-0 | |
6 | They better hope adding Eddie Lacy can help their running game -- but he has to be in shape. They didn't do much on the offensive line. | 1 | 2-1-0 | |
7 | It was a solid move adding Brandon Marshall to the passing game, but they have to add some help on the offensive line. | 1 | 1-2-0 | |
8 | The losses on the offensive line will be key, but the bigger issue remains the pass rush. They suffered some hits on the defensive line and in the secondary and still have to decide what to do with Tony Romo. | 4 | 2-1-0 | |
9 | Keeping Eric Berry was big for the defense, and Bennie Logan will be fine replacing Dontari Poe. | -- | 2-1-0 | |
10 | They still have uncertainty at quarterback with the Tony Romo situation in flux. But they did upgrade the offensive line. | -- | 0-3-0 | |
11 | Adding DeSean Jackson to the passing game will amp up the offense and they could be a playoff team. The defense added a nice piece in tackle Chris Baker. | -- | 2-1-0 | |
12 | Keeping pass rusher Chandler Jones was big for them as they try and regroup from a disappointing season. | 4 | 1-2-0 | |
13 | They had a solid free-agency period, keeping several of their own, but the key for them is the health of quarterback Ryan Tannehill. | 1 | 3-0-0 | |
14 | The offensive line added guard T.J. Lang and tackle Ricky Wagner, which is an upgrade. The addition of some lower-tier defensive players will help. | 1 | 2-1-0 | |
15 | Getting Tony Jefferson to join Eric Weddle as the starting safeties was smart, as was keeping nose tackle Brandon Williams. | 1 | 2-1-0 | |
16 | Who plays quarterback? Right now, it's Tom Savage. Do they make the move to get Tony Romo? They should. | 1 | 1-2-0 | |
17 | They didn't do much in free agency, and suffered two hits on the offensive line. But that's why they drafted the replacements. It's time for the young players to step up. | 5 | 1-2-0 | |
18 | They added two players in the secondary in corner Logan Ryan and safety Jonathan Cyprien. Now they don't have to focus there with their two first-round picks. | 1 | 1-2-0 | |
19 | The front-office mess didn't help, but they did get Kirk Cousins to sign his franchise tag. Getting Terrelle Pryor to replace DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon was a good move. | 1 | 2-1-0 | |
20 | They kept a lot of their defensive front and added a much-needed left tackle -- even if Matt Kalil isn't a top guy. Are they ready to bounce back? | 1 | 0-3-0 | |
21 | They added two edge rushers in John Simon and Jabaal Sheard, which they had to do. But new general manager Chris Ballard has a lot of work still to do. | 1 | 2-1-0 | |
22 | They added two new tackles, which was a must if they are to get past the 2016 disaster. It looks like Adrian Peterson is gone. | 1 | 0-3-0 | |
23 | They kept pass rusher Melvin Ingram, which was big. They still have a lot of questions on offense, even with the signing of Russell Okung to play left tackle. | -- | 1-2-0 | |
24 | They've had a great offseason in improving their roster. Now the focus going forward has to be continuing to improve the defense. | -- | 2-1-0 | |
25 | They got Carson Wentz some weapons in Alshon Jeffrey and Torrey Smith. That will help get the offense cranked up in 2017. | -- | 3-0-0 | |
26 | Keeping Tyrod Taylor and pass rusher Lorenzo Alexander were good moves. But they lost some good players as well. | -- | 2-1-0 | |
27 | They added some nice pieces to the defense in free agency. But this season will be all about Blake Bortles. | 3 | 1-2-0 | |
28 | New coach Sean McVay has to hope he can get Jared Goff to develop or it will be a short stay. Getting him left tackle Andrew Whitworth in free agency will help. | -- | 1-2-0 | |
29 | They are all in on Mike Glennon as their quarterback. If he's good, they will be a lot higher than this come November. | -- | 0-3-0 | |
30 | They have a long way to go to be a contender again, but they did add some solid pieces in free agency. | 1 | 3-0-0 | |
31 | They have unloaded a lot of vets and could be starting 37-year-old Josh McCown at quarterback. Could they be behind the Browns come the open of the season? | 4 | 1-2-0 | |
32 | They spent to improve the offensive line, which was a smart thing. But now what do they do at quarterback? | -- | 2-1-0 |