Patriots’ Biggest Offseason Additions Paid Off Despite Inconsistencies

The New England Patriots gave up a lot to acquire wide receiver Brandin Cooks and cornerback Stephon Gilmore this offseason, so naturally, both additions were nitpicked to death throughout the 2017 season.

As the Patriots prepare to play the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII, head coach Bill Belichick has to be feeling pretty good about what he gave up to get those players, however.

Cooks, who came to the Patriots from the New Orleans Saints for a first-round pick, finished the 2017 season with 65 catches for 1,082 yards with seven touchdowns. He’s added nine catches for 132 yards in two playoff games. His 16.6 yards per catch in the regular season ranked seventh among qualified receivers. He was tied for eighth in 20-plus yard plays (18) and ranked second in 40-plus yard plays (7).

Add in the 209 yards he’s drawn through defensive pass interference penalties, and he’s been exactly what the Patriots thought they were getting from the New Orleans Saints for first- and fourth-round picks, nothing more, nothing less.

“Brandin’s been good for us all year,” Belichick said Sunday. “A really good football player, good route runner, tough, good hands, smart guy, does a lot of different things. We put him in a lot of different positions and he’s able to execute a lot of different things.”

Cooks, as he has been throughout his career, had up and down games. Public perception would shift dependent upon whether Cooks was delivering big plays or disappearing that week. He had six catches for 100 yards in the Patriots’ AFC Championship Game win but also dropped what could have been a big touchdown. The performance encapsulated his season well. Overall, Cooks was very good in that game, but there was still enough there for fans to complain about.

The Patriots wanted to add a big-play threat in Cooks, and that’s exactly what he gave them.

Gilmore was blamed for the Patriots’ early-season miscommunication issues, since he appeared to be in the middle of their biggest breakdowns.

But overall, he was the Patriots’ best cornerback this season. He let up 42 catches on 67 targets for 509 yards with three touchdowns, two interceptions and an 88.5 passer rating against. Throw in the interception Patriots safety Duron Harmon stole from him, and Gilmore had an 82.2 passer rating against on the season.

Take out Gilmore’s first four games, and he let up a 77.5 passer rating. Gilmore played his best football in the Patriots’ first two playoff games, letting up a 70.4 passer rating (four catches on 10 targets for 84 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions).

“He’s done a good job for us all year and has played his best football here in the last, let’s call it six weeks or so where we’ve really needed it the most,” Belichick said this week on WEEI’s “Dale and Holley with Keefe.” It’s a great thing to have going into this week.”

Gilmore’s pass breakup over Jaguars wide receiver Dede Westbrook in the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship Game, when he seemed to float in the air to smack the ball away from its intended targets, was one of the best plays of the season.

The Patriots missed on some offseason moves. Defensive end Kony Ealy didn’t even make the 53-man roster, defensive end Cassius Marsh was cut midway through the season and tight end Dwayne Allen caught just 10 passes, but it would be tough to say they didn’t hit on their biggest acquisitions in Cooks and Gilmore.