Patriots sign free agent CB Leigh Bodden

March 10, 10:56 PMNew England Patriots ExaminerSean Crowe

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AP File

The Patriots knew they couldn’t go into the 2009 season with the secondary they were fielding at the end of the 2008 season.

There’s no way an NFL team can survive defensively with Ellis Hobbs as their number one pass defender. Given that situation, it’s amazing the Patriots did as well as they did last season.

Next season, Hobbs may be the Patriots’ number three pass defender.

After signing Shawn Springs last weekend, the Patriots weren’t done improving their porous secondary. Tuesday, they added free agent cornerback Leigh Bodden.

Bodden was the consensus best cornerback left on the market. Some thought he was the best cornerback available this offseason.

Under Romeo Crennel’s tutelage, Bodden became a shutdown corner in Cleveland. He’s not only familiar with the Patriots’ system, he thrived in it while in Cleveland.

He’s the perfect size for a cornerback (6-foot-1, 192 pounds) and is one of the faster players in the league. Basically, he’s the anti-Ellis Hobbs.

(PS: I’m not trying to rag on Ellis, I actually like the guy and think he’s underrated. But physically, he is what he is: small.)

When the Browns called Detroit and asked for Shaun Rogers, Detroit demanded the young corner in return. Knowing what they had, they immediately signed him to a 4-year, $27 million contract.

But Detroit is Detroit, and everyone looks bad there. Rather than pay him a seven figure roster bonus, they released him earlier this offseason.

The Patriots will go into next season with Shawn Springs, Leigh Bodden, and Ellis Hobbs as their top three cornerbacks. Second year players Terrence Wheatley and Jonathan Wilhite will have a year of experience under their belts and should show significant improvement.

Not too shabby.

The Patriots still need to address the safety position (I’m not buying James Sanders as their full-time starting safety), but their secondary is looking much, MUCH better than it did back in December.

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Sean Crowe is the New England Patriots Examiner and a Senior Writer / NFL Community Leader at Bleacher Report. You can email him at scrowe@gmail.com.You can check out his Bleacher Report archives here.