Patriots $45 Million Addition Ready to ‘Turn Back the Clock’

One thing that new Patriots defensive end Harold Landry had hoped would improve in his everyday life after signing with New England from the Titans was his commute time. Traffic in Nashville, a city that has grown faster than its roadways, is notoriously tough. But evidently, on his way to his new team, Landry was reminded of just how bonkers Boston-area traffic gets.

“The one thing that has surprised me is traffic,” Landry said. “I thought it would be a little bit better than Nashville. But it’s around there. But it’s all right.”

Landry should know better–he did go to Boston College, after all. But while Landry has been stuck in the slow lane on the roadways, he said that on the field, he is feeling quite the opposite. Now in his eighth year in the NFL, and at age 29, Landry said he is quite spry.

“I feel faster now than I did in my whole career, to be honest. So, hey, turn back the clock a little bit, you know what I’m saying?” he said at Patriots minicamp last week.

Patriots Defensive Front Much Improved

Landry was one of the first dominoes to fall in the Patriots’ massive offseason spending spree that wound up seeing the team shell out more than $350 million in one winter. Landry got three years and $45 million, and was a guy that new coach Mike Vrabel targeted as a player he wanted. Vrabel coached Landry for his entire career in Tennessee.

There are a few reasons for excitement around the 2025 Patriots, and first among them is the defensive front, where Landry and fellow signee Milton Williams–the top free agent on the market–will join Keion White and Christian Barmore to give the Patriots what could develop into one of the top fronts in the AFC.

The linebackers have been upgraded, and New England should have ones of the best secondaries in the league, too. For Landry, the key is Vrabel’s ability to pull the whole unit together.

“I think it’s going great,” he said. “He is big on players connecting with coaches and players connecting with players. I feel like he is doing a great job instilling that here, each day. I think as we stack days out here, we’re also getting closer in the locker room and also in the meetings. The closer you are with everybody you go to work with, the harder you are going to play for them.

“A team that plays superhard for each other, a team that cares about each other and a team that is going to go out there and put their teammate ahead of themselves.”