The New England Patriots have a two-lap lead if the NFL offseason were a sprint to the finish. However, as we all know, titles aren’t won in the spring.

Following the signings of Jonnu Smith to bolster its tight end corps and Davon Godchaux to shore up the defensive front, New England has added arguably the most talented edge defender left on the market in Matthew Judon, a two-time Pro Bowler with 34.5 recorded sacks in his first five seasons in the NFL.

The Patriots entered today with the largest amount of cap available of any team, and boy have they put it to use.

According to Tom Pelissero, the two sides have agreed to a massive four-year, $56M contract which includes $32M within the first two years of the deal.

With both Lawrence Guy and Deatrich Wise Jr. set to explore the open market, the addition of Judon represents a priceless addition.

Judon brings exciting physical gifts to the table, touting excellent size with elite agility as a true modern 3-4 edge defender. Because of his impressive physical skill set, Judon is able to fill multiple roles as a versatile defender. He came out of college as a defensive end but the Ravens had him playing exclusively as a 3-4 outside linebacker. He is capable of filling either role for New England, which looks to modernize their defensive front seven with the ultimate chess piece in Judon. A former fifth-round steal back in 2016, Judon now immediately becomes the driving force for the Patriots’ threat off the edge.

With the likes of Josh Allen in Buffalo and the New York Jets on the brink of adding their new face of the franchise, the Patriots are desperate for pop on the edge after recording a mere 24 sacks in 2020 with Chase Winovich (5.5) leading the charge. In comparison, no other edge pass rusher on the roster tallied more than 2.5. Judon changes that in a big way.