Patriots bolster secondary, sign CB Shawn Springs

March 6, 2:02 PMNew England Patriots ExaminerSean Crowe

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(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Shawn Springs is not Asante Samuel. Maybe he used to be, but he isn’t anymore.

However, he is a real, live NFL quality cornerback—something the Patriots are desperately lacking.

Ellis Hobbs is a decent cornerback. He does a good job against smaller, second level wide receivers. When he’s up against bigger, stronger, more physical wide receivers, he falls down and watches them score Super Bowl winning touchdowns.

Springs is faster, bigger, and better than Ellis Hobbs. When healthy, he gives the Patriots a viable option against their opponents number one wide receiver.

He may not be what he once was, but he immediately jumps to the top of the Patriots’ depth chart.

The issue with Springs is his ability to stay on the field. He missed seven games last season with a torn calf. But when he was on the field, he played well.

The Patriots needed to address their secondary via free agency, and they have. Between this and the James Sanders signing, the Patriots now (at the very least) have four viable NFL starters (Springs, Hobbs, Sanders, and Brandon Merriweather).

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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.