Defensive end Dre'Mont Jones was the Patriots' most significant addition on the first day of the negotiation period ahead of free agency.
Defensive end Dre'Mont Jones was the Patriots' most significant addition on the first day of the negotiation period ahead of free agency.Stephanie Scarbrough/Associated Press
On the first day of the negotiation period ahead of free agency last year, the Patriots reached seven contract agreements and doled out more than $240 million.
This time around, things were a bit quieter.
The Patriots on Monday agreed to terms with two players: defensive end Dre’Mont Jones (three years, $39 million) and fullback Reggie Gilliam (three years, $12 million).
Jones, 29, will upgrade New England’s pass rush, one of the biggest areas of need within the defense. Gilliam, 28, will serve as a traditional fullback, bolstering the run game.
Although the two players are projected to play meaningful roles this season, the Patriots should be far from done retooling their roster. The team still has wide-ranging needs, including wide receiver, edge rusher, offensive line, tight end, and linebacker.
The Patriots entered last year’s offseason with the most salary cap space in the league, as well as a new coach eager to overhaul the roster, so the same level of frenzy was not expected this year. But the team entered Monday with enough room, approximately $57 million, to make significant upgrades at various positions.
“We filled a lot of needs last year and we’re still building,” executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said at the scouting combine. “We have areas that maybe we feel good about the starters, but maybe the depth is not where we want it to be. We have areas where we maybe need to add a starter. So, I think it’s going to be sort of a holistic approach.”
So, who else might be coming to New England?
Several of the top free agent targets are now off the board. Wide receiver Alec Pierce, who drew interest from the Patriots, elected to stay in Indianapolis, signing a monster four-year, $114 million deal. Tight end (and Massachusetts native) Isaiah Likely is set to reunite with John Harbaugh on the Giants. Left guard (and Boston College product) Zion Johnson agreed to terms with the Browns on a three-year, $49.5 million contract.
At wide receiver, where the Patriots are looking to replace the recently released Stefon Diggs, the remaining players include Romeo Doubs, Jauan Jennings, Christian Kirk, and Deebo Samuel. The market has thinned out considerably.
Doubs, who will turn 26 in April, is probably the best of the bunch. At 6 feet 2 inches and 204 pounds, he primarily lined up out wide last season and finished with 55 receptions for a career-high 724 yards and six touchdowns. Doubs caught more than half of his passes inside the short area (0-9 yards from the line of scrimmage), with 74.5 percent of his catches converting for a first down.
At offensive line, the Patriots need a starting left guard if the plan is to move rookie Jared Wilson to center following the trade of Garrett Bradbury. Ben Brown is an in-house candidate, but the Patriots could also pursue Joel Bitonio or Kevin Zeitler as a more experienced option to pair next to rookie left tackle Will Campbell. Coach Mike Vrabel has a familiarity with both players.
Backup tackle Vederian Lowe, who would have been a sensible re-signing, is leaving for the 49ers, agreeing to a two-year, $12 million contract. Rookie Marcus Bryant is now the leading swing tackle, but the Patriots could still use reinforcements.
At edge rusher, Jones is a strong start to revamping the pass rush. At 6-3 and 281 pounds, he injects the unit with some size and power. He also boasts the versatility to line up on the interior, if needed.
The Patriots will likely want to continue to improve at edge rusher. The team has veteran Harold Landry, undrafted rookie Elijah Ponder, linebacker Anfernee Jennings, and rookie Bradyn Swinson on the depth chart for the upcoming year. The Patriots last week also signed outside linebacker Jesse Luketa, a core special teamer.
Potential additions could include K’Lavon Chaisson, their top edge rusher last season, or Arnold Ebiketie. The majority of top talent, with exception to Trey Hendrickson, is off the board, though.
At tight end, the Patriots will have slim pickings after missing out on Likely. The team decided to move on from Austin Hooper, who agreed to a one-year, $3.25 million with the Falcons, because they wanted to get younger at the position. Chig Okonkwo, 26, is still available, but the rest of the remaining free agents (David Njoku, Jonnu Smith, and Dallas Goedert) don’t exactly fit that description.
In addition to Chaisson, the Patriots still have decisions to make on safety Jaylinn Hawkins, linebacker Jack Gibbens, and tackle Thayer Munford Jr. — all of whom remain unsigned.
The Patriots also lost another in-house free agent, as nose tackle Khyiris Tonga is set to cash in on a three-year, $21 million contract with the Chiefs. New England had hoped to retain Tonga after he thoroughly outplayed his one-year, $2.7 million deal, but ultimately were priced out.
Whatever the Patriots cannot fill during free agency, they will be forced to address in the draft. The team is currently slated to have 11 picks.
Patriots’ lackluster start to free agency
With NFL free agency starting on Monday, the Patriots made few moves. Ben Volin and Chad Finn discuss what needs to be done during free agency.
Nicole Yang can be reached at nicole.yang@globe.com. Follow her on X @nicolecyang.