New England Patriot Free agency recap so far…
Here is the Patriot’s Free Agency class of 2023. More moves could be made in the future, the article will be updated. The list below is in order of the breakdown below it.
Calvin Anderson
Juju Smith-Schuster
Mike Gesicki
Riley Reiff
James Robinson
Trace McSorley
Chris Board
Corliss Waitman
Calvin Anderson, Offensive Tackle
Key points you should know:
Calvin Anderson is 6-foot 5-inches (6’5) 305 pounds 27 years old.
Contract: 2 Year $7 Million. $4 Million fully guaranteed
Signing Grade (B-)
Calvin Anderson began his career in New England in 2019 as an undrafted free agent, which few people are aware of, on May 13, 2019. New England later released him. The tackle hasn't been in New England for a very long, but he's already back and happy to be. An excellent role model for the Offensive Line group. In 2022 Anderson was graded by PFF with a 65 overall. He gave up only 2 sacks and had one penalty called against him all year. Granted this came with a diminished role which resulted in him playing only 439 total snaps. Still his low penalty totals is a breath of fresh air in New England as the starting Tackles committed 17 total penalties in 2022.
Juju Smith-Schuster, Wide Receiver
Key points you should know:
6 foot 1 inch (6’1) 216 pounds 26 years old.
Contract: 3-Year $7.9 Mil in signing bonuses totals $25.5 Mil. The guaranteed amount is $16 Mil, with an average annual pay of $8.5Mil.
Signing Grade (B+)
In the 2022 season Juju would record 78 receptions for 933 yards with only 3 touchdowns. A word to describe Juju’s 2022 season with the Chiefs is “Mid”. The WR had high expectations for the season, but didn’t really reach them. Juju is known for “YAC” (Yards after the catch), seen in his ability to take hits and just bounces off for an extra 5+ yards. Smith-Schuster brings a new aspect to the Patriots offense that lacked YAC ability last year ranking 13th in the NFL in that category.
Mike Gesicki, Tight End
Key points you should know:
6 foot 6 inches (6’6) 249 pounds age 27
Mike Gesicki was recruited by Bill O’Brien while at Penn State.
Contract: 1 Year $4.5 Mil Only $3.5 Mil is guaranteed.
Signing Grade (A)
Mike Gesicki is a big-bodied receiving tight end ready to showcase his talent in a Patriots uniform. Bill Belichick has seen him ball out against New England for quite some time while in Miami. After the trade of Jonnu Smith, the Pats were quite thin when it came to tight ends. It was only Hunter Henry, Matt Sokol, and Scotty Washington. The Patriots needed to add one more and that guy was Mike Gesicki–Instant improvement for the Patriots offense. It was a down year in 2022 for the 6’6 tight end. Gesicki recorded 32 receptions for 362 yards with 5 touchdowns. The hope is that this regression was a result of Mike McDaniel’s new offensive scheme and that O’Brien will be able to bring out the best in Gesicki in 2023.
Riley Reiff, Offensive Tackle
Key points you should know:
6 foot 6 inches (6’6) 313 pounds 34 years old.
Brings a lot of experience, has been in the NFL for some time.
Contract: 1 Year $5 Million. $2.7 Million signing bonus with $4.1 Million fully guaranteed.
Signing Grade (B-)
Riley Reiff is quite the journeyman for an Offensive lineman. From being drafted by the Lions in the first round he has been pretty reliable. The 6’6 313 pound tackle would jump around the NFL to different teams, but he has been pretty solid in his career. This past season he played for the Bears allowing only 3 sacks in 542 snaps. Here we are in 2023 and Reiff is a Patriot. The Patriots made some good moves regarding the Tackle position, getting a great mentor in Riley Reiff. He could slot in as a swing tackle providing depth and leadership to a position that had major concerns in 2022.
James Robinson, Running Back
Key points you should know:
5 foot 9 inches (5’9) 219 pounds 24 years old.
Contract: 2 Year $4 Million with an annual salary of $2 Million
Signing Grade (B+)
James Robinson was extraordinary in the 2020 season. Out of 14 games played Robinson would have 240 rushing attempts for 1,070 yards on the ground. Robinson would average 4.5 yards a pop and would have 7 touchdowns that season. In the receiving aspect, the 5’9 running back would shine there as well, accumulating 49 receptions for 344 yards with 3 touchdowns. Sadly his production would take a massive hit in 2021. He tore his Achilles late in the 2021 season. Robinson wouldn’t be the same after the injury. Playing for the Jets in 2022 he just definitely was missing that speed and power.
The Patriots picked up the running back and have the hope to get this career back on track. Robinson and Stevenson are going to share reps and are going to be a killer duo.
Trace McSorley Quarterback
Key points you should know:
6 foot (6’0) 203 pounds 27 years old.
Dual-Threat Quarterback
Contract: Unavailable
Signing Grade (C+)
Patriot fans should be excited to see what McSorley brings to New England. The Quarterback gets overlooked due to his height and arm talent, but has incredible athletic ability. Looking at the game film, the quarterback is very good at extending plays. Looking at the career stats, McSorley has had a very small sample size attempting 93 passes and only completing 48 of them over his career. Those completions have resulted in 502 yards with 1 touchdown and 5 interceptions–not great numbers at all. Trace McSorley's overall career completion percentage is just 51.6%. The Patriots are willing to give the 6-foot Quarterback another chance to find a role in New England. At best McSorely will provide depth at a position that has had rumors of turmoil and rifts over the off-season. At worst he is simply a camp arm.
Chris Board Linebacker/Special Teams
Key points you should know:
6 foot 2 inches (6’2) 239 pounds 27 years old.
Board is a very good Special team player
Contract: 1 Year $2.6 Million fully guaranteed
Signing grade (A)
Patriot fans should be excited about the addition of a veteran special teamer. Chris Board is fast and a great tackler. The Linebacker has 92 total tackles over the course of his career, 64 of which were solo. Board has been a solid contributor and will play a key part on the Patriots special team unit. His contribution to the Line Backing group though may be non-existent.
Corliss Waitman Punter
Key Points you should know:
6 foot 2 inches (6’2) 210 pounds 27 years old.
Contract: 1 Year $990,000 with a $25,000 signing bonus
Signing Grade (C+)
Corliss Waitman was pretty solid in the 2022 season. The newly acquired Patriot would punt the ball 96 times and for 4,470 punt yards last season. The longest punt was 59 yards and his average yards per punt was 46.6, 5 yards more than the Patriots average. Waitman will most likely compete with a rookie, but is a very reliable choice if he ultimately ends up with the job.