Patriots May Have NFL's Most Disrespected Defender

The New England Patriots first decided to address their brutal pass rush this offseason by signing Harold Landry to a three-year, $43.5 million contract, right after he was cut by the Tennessee Titans.

Landry has been one of the more consistent edge rushers in the NFL throughout his professional career, so the fact that the Patriots were able to get him should benefit their defense significantly.

However, for some reason, the Landry move has widely been criticized, with many dubbing it one of the more financially questionable decisions of the offseason.

Apparently, advanced metrics do not like Landry, even though he has totaled 31.5 sacks over his last three healthy seasons (he missed all of 2022 after tearing his ACL). Last year, the 29-year-old finished with nine sacks, also adding 71 tackles and four passes defended.

And the year prior? Landry racked up 10.5 sacks.

Sorry, but results matter. We can talk about "advanced statistics" as much as we want, but at some point, we have to look at the actual production, and Landry has been producing.

It's not like Landry is ancient, either. He just had a birthday last month (29), so he should still have plenty left in the tank. He also hasn't shown any ill effects of his ACL injury a few years ago.

So what is the issue? Why the constant criticism and griping over Landry's contract? If anything, his deal seems safer than the four-year, $104 million pact the Patriots struck with defensive tackle Milton Williams, who has never even been a full-time starter throughout his NFL career.

Not only that, but New England also signed fellow edge rusher K'Lavon Chaisson and drafted Bradyn Swinson, so the Pats have a couple of safety nets in place in the event that Landry doesn't pan out. They could always still sign someone like Jadeveon Clowney or Za'Darius Smith, too.

The Landry signing is taking far too much heat, and Landry himself is absorbing far too much condemnation as a player. We should witness that first hand starting in September.