Cam Newton is fired up after Pats reportedly add another weapon

Patriots

Cam Newton is fired up after Pats reportedly add another weapon

The Patriots’ flurry of moves to kick off free agency are making a lot of New England fans happy.

Know who else is happy? The quarterback.

After agreeing to deals with six free agents Monday — including tight end Jonnu Smith and wide receivers Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne — the Patriots reportedly added another top talent Tuesday in tight end Hunter Henry.

2021 NFL free agency tracker: Latest news, signings and rumors

Shortly after the Henry news broke, recently-signed QB Cam Newton shared an enthusiastic Instagram post that appeared to signal his approval.

“When you realize things are already different … the second go round!!” Newton captioned a video of him walking out of Gillette Stadium.

Indeed, New England has overhauled its depressingly thin pass-catching group from 2020 by landing the top two tight ends in free agency in Henry and Smith and two quality wide receivers in Agholor and Bourne.

Rags to riches

Combined receiving TDs for Smith, Henry, Agholor and Bourne in 2020

22

Patriots’ receiving TDs as a team in 2020

10

Henry and Smith easily will be the top two tight ends on the depth chart, while Agholor should be the 1B to Julian Edelman’s 1A (or vice versa). Bourne racked up 667 yards with the San Francisco 49ers last season and could be an efficient slot man for Newton, as well.

It’s no guarantee that Newton will be primary beneficiary of the Patriots’ offseason moves, however. The 31-year-old’s one-year contract with New England reportedly doesn’t preclude the team from adding another QB via trade, free agency or the NFL Draft, so it sounds like Newton could have competition for the starting job.

Whoever starts at QB for the Patriots should have a lot more weapons at his disposal, though.