The New England Patriots entered the offseason with the most salary cap space in football as the team had nearly $120 million in its war chest. And once free agency began, the Patriots started spending. The team added multiple marquee names to the roster including former Eagles’ defender Milton Williams, who signed a $104 million contract with New England.

But after the initial rush of free agency and the new league year, the Patriots got back to work and made an under-the-radar addition that could pay off for the team.

New England signed edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson to a one-year, $5 million deal, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on X.

The Patriots add key defensive depth with DE K’Lavon Chaisson

Chaisson was selected with the 20th overall pick in the 2020 draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He spent four seasons with the team but was unable to break through. He played in 57 games for the Jaguars but only got 11 starts. And his production was unremarkable. He had just five sacks in four years with Jacksonville, failing to move the needle.

Then Chaisson joined the Las Vegas Raiders. The team added him as a defensive line depth piece after the season had started. He played in 15 games, making four starts and finished the season with 32 total tackles and five sacks.

However, Chaisson improved dramatically as the season wore on. From Week 10 through Week 14 he played like a future star. In that five-game span Chaisson had 17 total tackles, four sacks, five tackles for a loss, six quarterback hits, two passes defended, an interception and a forced fumble.

That’s quite an impressive run as some of those stats nearly match what he put up in the other four and a half seasons he played in the NFL. And the Patriots clearly saw a bargain in the DE who’s just entering his age-26 season.

Chaisson was also on the field far more often last year. In 2023 with the Jaguars, he played just 25 percent of defensive snaps, per Pro Football Reference. But with the Raiders in 2024 he got up to a career-high 52 percent. And during that five-game run from Week 10 through Week 14 he nearly reached 70 percent of defensive snaps.

If the Patriots can continue to develop Chaisson and they’re able to get him on the field consistently, he could be a steal at $5 million. Fortunately, he’s going to a team coached by Mike Vrabel, which should help his growth as a defender.

The Patriots added another former member of the Raiders’ defense, signing Robert Spillane to a three-year, $37 million contract. And New England beefed up its secondary as well. Former Detroit Lions’ cornerback Carlton Davis joined the Patriots on a three-year, $60 million deal.