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.

I won’t sit here and say every move Belichick made so far has been special, but overall the Patriots were impressive in free agency.

They added a big-ticket corner in Stephon Gilmore from the Buffalo Bills -- even if I think Malcolm Butler, their own corner, is better. They then traded to get receiver Brandin Cooks from the New Orleans Saints and re-signed key defenders in safety Duron Harmon, tackle Alan Branch and especially linebacker Dont’a Hightower.

They also signed running back Rex Burkhead and traded to get tight end Dwayne Allen from the Indianapolis Colts and defensive end Kony Ealy from Carolina Panthers.

That’s quite a haul, even if it cost them their picks in the first and second rounds of the April draft, which means they won’t draft until the third round.

They can remedy that if they trade quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Even if they don’t -- which I think would be a mistake -- the Patriots solidified their spot as the best team in the NFL.

That’s why they stay as the top team in my post-free agency Power Rankings, and will open the 2017 season there unless Tom Brady decides to walk away -- which isn’t happening.

The dynasty will roll on. 

Biggest Movers
5 Bengals
4 Cowboys
Rk
Teams
 
Chg
Rcrd
1 Patriots 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 Falcons 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 Packers 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 Steelers 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 Raiders 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 Seahawks 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 Giants 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 Cowboys 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 Chiefs Keeping Eric Berry was big for the defense, and Bennie Logan will be fine replacing Dontari Poe. -- 2-1-0
10 Broncos They still have uncertainty at quarterback with the Tony Romo situation in flux. But they did upgrade the offensive line. -- 0-3-0
11 Buccaneers 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 Cardinals Keeping pass rusher Chandler Jones was big for them as they try and regroup from a disappointing season. 4 1-2-0
13 Dolphins 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 Lions 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 Ravens 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 Texans 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 Bengals 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 Titans 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 Commanders 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 Panthers 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 Colts 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 Vikings 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 Chargers 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 Saints 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 Eagles 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 Bills Keeping Tyrod Taylor and pass rusher Lorenzo Alexander were good moves. But they lost some good players as well. -- 2-1-0
27 Jaguars 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 Rams 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 Bears 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 49ers 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 Jets 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 Browns They spent to improve the offensive line, which was a smart thing. But now what do they do at quarterback? -- 2-1-0