Have the New England Patriots taken a great leap forward in the last week or so?
ESPN's Kevin Seifert and Seth Walder probably would answer "yes," having named the Patriots on Tuesday as the team that has improved most since the start of NFL free agency. The Patriots have been the NFL's most-active team since free agency opened last week, re-signing or acquiring 18-plus players via free agency or trades in an unprecedented roster makeover.
New England's offense struggled for most of last season, but Seifert believes the new arrivals undoubtedly have improved the unit.
" ... Their offense is now much more explosive, thanks to wide receiver Nelson Agholor and tight ends Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry, and their defense will get more pop up front from Matthew Judon and Kyle Van Noy," Seifert wrote. "The departure of guard Joe Thuney is worrisome, but overall, the Patriots have unquestionably upgraded a half-dozen starting positions."
Walder also focuses on the expected boost to New England's offense.
"There's certainly reason to be skeptical of the value some of the moves bring -- the Agholor signing stands out -- but there's no question that an influx of talent just flowed into Foxboro, Massachusetts, and New England will be better off for it in the short term," he wrote.
Although Seifert, Walder and others praise the Patriots' moves, some take a dimmer view of New England's transaction frenzy.
We still are several months away from being able to gauge accurately whether the Patriots are better than last season's 7-9 squad. However, if seasoned writers like Seifert and Walder believe New England is the most-improved team, it only makes sense to expect a winning team in 2021, right?
