Patriots Land Surprising Entry on Top Players List

The New England Patriots probably had the weakest roster in football last season, but thanks to a strong free-agent period and NFL Draft, the Patriots have improved their talent level across the board rather significantly over the last couple of months.

Is New England a world beater? Surely not, but the Pats are definitely a step ahead of the disastrous group they assembled a year ago, which resulted in the team's second straight four-win campaign.

The Patriots actually spent much of their time addressing their defense this offseason, particularly in free agency where they signed some very notable names.

One of those names was linebacker Robert Spillane, who inked a three-year, $33 million contract with New England back in March.

Spillane is apparently already making a major impact on the team during offseason workouts, and he is also garnering considerable recognition, more than he ever did during his days with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Take Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus, for example, who has listed Spillane among the the Pats' top three players heading into 2025.

"Spillane brings proven value against the run, earning grades of 89.0 and 87.3 over the last two seasons," Sikkema wrote.

Cornerback Christian Gonzalez and defensive lineman Milton Williams, the latter of whom was also added in free agency, filled the other two slots on the list.

Spillane racked up 158 tackles, a couple of sacks, a pair of interceptions and seven passes defended with the Raiders last season, posting a 68.4 overall grade at Pro Football Focus.

The 29-year-old began his career as an undrafted free-agent addition of the Tennessee Titans in 2018 (when Mike Vrabel was coaching the Titans), but played in just two games before making his way to the Pittsburgh Steelers for four years as a key rotational piece. He then joined Las Vegas in 2023 and quickly established himself as a vital cog in the Raiders' defense.

We'll see if Spillane can help take the Patriots' defense to another level next fall.