First the Pats re-signed their best pass rusher from last year, Tully Banta-Cain. It would be ideal if he was the team's second or third best pass rusher, but that's a different topic. Offensive lineman Stephen Neal is also coming back. He has been a key part of one of the Pats' constant strengths over the past several years. They followed that by wrapping up team leader and All-Pro defensive lineman Vince Wilfork to a much-awaited long-term contract. That had to happen or the franchise could stop pretending they were still trying to really win Super Bowls.
Today the Pats closed out a successful week of retaining their most valuable pieces. First they reportedly signed cornerback Leigh Bodden to a four-year deal. Bodden had interest from several teams and was the type of player (see Deion Branch) who ran the risk of getting an unreasonably big contract offer thrown his way to lure him from the Pats. Bodden, an NFL veteran who had one of his best seasons in his first with the Patriots, would have been a tough guy to replace. The Pats are not deep in the secondary. Bodden, with his five picks and physical play, proved to be a playmaker and the team was in dire need of playmakers in the defensive backfield.
The Pats also announced that jack-of-all-trades RB Kevin Faulk is returning for his 12th year as the team's unsung hero. Again, not a cannonball into the free agent pool that many fans might have been hoping for, but anyone who follows the team knows that Faulk is a large part of the core of this team. He still has many clutch plays left in him. I know I was relieved to see Faulk back. My guess is Tom Brady had the same reaction.
The Patriots have accomplished what seemed to me to be their biggest pre-draft priority: re-signing their most valuable free agents (sorry Jarvis and Ben). That's a good start to ... wait, did someone mention the draft? Just more than a month to go.
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