The Patriots Re-sign Danny Shelton and Continue to Put the Band Back Together

Don’t look now, but the Patriots are very quietly building up the defense that set a record for fewest points allowed in a Super Bowl into something that is better than it was. Yes, Trey Flowers is gone playing in Detroit and living off the life savings of Martha Ford’s Goldendoodle’s inheritance. And his loss will be felt. But they’ve kept the secondary and linebacker units intact, have added Michael Bennett and Jamie Collins, drafted a highly regarded corner in Joejuan Williams and high-octane motor DE in Chase Winovich. Plus are bringing back injured second year defenders like Ju’Whaun Bentley and Duke Dawson. And now, making a move I did not see coming, bringing back Danny Shelton.

I don’t want to overstate Shelton’s importance. Vince Wilfork or Ted Washington he was not. Here’s what I wrote about him after the Super Bowl when I was paying tribute to the first-year Patriots most responsible for winning us a championship:

Another member of The 0-16 to Champions Club. [Note: Along with Jason McCourty.] For most of the year I had Shelton down as the most disappointing player on the team, based on how good he looked in July and August and how little he played during the season. And he didn’t get a ton of reps Sunday, but he made them count. Sean McVay was calling his usual misdirections, motions, fake sweeps and so on. At one point he got the flow all going to the right with a fake stretch run only to have Goff roll left and throw for 11. But the middle of the Patriots line held. They kept attacking vertically against the run and the pass. Shelton and Wise penetrated on a 7-step drop by Goff to force an incompletion. Another time with the Rams backed up inside their own 10, he lined up in 0-shade to the weakside, put on a swim move around the center to the play side, came in unblocked and forced a throw that should’ve been picked off. … To butcher a line from the great Harry Dunne, just when I think you didn’t play well all year, you do something like this and totally redeem yourself!

So yeah, he flashed. At least enough that the new defensive coordinator, Bill Belichick, was willing to bring him back and see what he can do with a year in the system under his massive belt.

Here’s another reason for us never to freak out when free agency starts and the Patriots aren’t doing much. Sometimes the guy who can help them will still be out there in the third week of May. Other times, like in every single family movie ever made, sometimes the thing you want most is the thing you had all along.