The Patriots have included 26-year old QB Matt Cassel in the Mike Vrabel trade with the Chiefs and in return they have acquired the #34 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft (2nd rounder).  Cassel really shined last season filling in for a injured Tom Brady.  He played in all 16 games in which he completed 327 of 516 passes (63.4%) for 3,693 yards with 21 TD passes and 11 interceptions (89.4 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 73 times for 270 yards (3.7 ypc) with 2 TD runs last year.  In 30 career games with the Patriots, Cassel completed 349 of 555 passes (62.9%) for 3,946 yards with 23 TD passes and 13 interceptions (88.2 QB Rating).  He also carried the football 85 times for 298 yards (3.5 ypc) with 3 TD runs for the Patriots in his career.  Look for the Patriots to think about bringing in a veteran backup QB for Brady as 2nd year man Kevin O’Connell would be the backup if the season started today.

The Patriots have signed 28-year old linebacker Tully Banta-Cain.  Banta-Cain played the last two seasons with the 49ers after leaving the Patriots as a free agent.  He played in 12 games for the 49ers last season and he made 18 tackles and had 1/2 a sack.  Banta-Cain has now played in 82 games over his NFL career and he has made 150 tackles, defensed 3 passes, has 12.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble and he has 1 interception.  This was a good move for the Patriots as Banta-Cain will give them depth on defense and he will help out on special teams.

The Patriots have signed 33-year old running back Fred Taylor.  Taylor played in 13 games for the Jaguars last season and he carried the ball 143 times for 556 yards (3.9 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 16 passes for 98 yards (6.1 avg)last season.  Taylor has played in 140 games over his 11 year NFL career and he has carried the ball 2,428 times for 11,271 yards (4.6 ypc) with 62 TD runs.  He has also caught 286 passes for 2,361 yards (8.3 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  This was a great signing for the Patriots as Taylor should be able to share the tailback job with Laurence Maroney with good results.

The Patriots have signed 29-year old TE Chris Baker.  Baker played in all 16 games for the Jets last season and he caught 21 passes for 194 yards (9.2 avg).  He has played in 99 games in his NFL career to date catching 145 passes for 1,505 yards (10.4 avg) with 12 TD grabs.  Baker should fit right in with the Patriots who like to throw the ball to everyone.

The Patriots have traded 33-year old linebacker Mike Vrabel to the Chiefs for a undisclosed draft pick.  Vrabel played in all 16 games for the Patriots last season and he made 62 tackles, defensed 4 passes, had 4 sacks, forced a fumble and intercepted a pass.  Vrabel played 8 seasons for the Patriots and he played in 125 games for them making 604 tackles, defensing 34 passes, sacking the opposing QB 48 times, forcing 14 fumbles and he intercepted 11 passes (returning 1 for a TD).  Vrabel appears to be slowing down so the Patriots should be able to find someone capable of replacing him before the 2009 season starts.