These Three Patriots Proved They Need To Be Re-Signed

The New England Patriots lost the Super Bowl and will not turn their focus to free agency and the NFL Draft.

The Patriots have 14 pending free agents, and six of them are unrestricted free agents. Even though free agency starts on March 11, the Patriots can exclusively negotiate with their own players until March 9. They can re-sign their own free agents before the market opens up to all teams.

The Patriots added many key players in free agency last offseason, and three of their pending free agents proved they should be re-signed during the playoffs. K’Lavon Chaisson, Khyiris Tonga and Jaylinn Hawkins all proved they should be brought back.

Chaisson has three sacks in the playoffs, tied for the team lead with Milton Williams. He also had four tackles for a loss and 10 quarterback hits. During the regular season, he was second on the team with 7.5 sacks. He was a key part of the defense all season and has set himself up to get paid.

Hawkins had a breakout year for the Patriots. He led the team in interceptions in the regular season and started 15 games. He had the best season of his career and played 82.2% of the Patriots’ defensive snaps this year. He played well in the playoffs as well and is a strong candidate to be re-signed. However, he will be 29 soon, and could be looking to cash in.

Tonga is not a player who lights up the box score, but he is an important piece for the Patriots. He played just 40% of defensive snaps this season, but he improved as a pass rusher. He is solid against the run, but he emerged as part of the offense as well. He had one sack in the playoffs as well.

The Patriots would bring him in on offense in certain packages as a blocker. In Week 10, he was on the field for TreVeyon Henderson’s game-sealing 69-yard touchdown. He took out multiple defenders on the edge to spring Henderson free. He plays a role in all three phases and is a player the Patriots could benefit from keeping around.