New England surprisingly active on day one

Bill Belichick loves acquiring at least one accomplished veteran per off-season that is hungry for a championship. Following in the footsteps of Corey Dillon, Rodney Harrison, Junior Seau, and Randy Moss, Fred Taylor will be the next NFL great to wind down his career in New England. 

It's a perfect fit for Taylor.  The Patriots won't ask him to do too much in a backfield already stocked with Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk, Sammy Morris, and BenJarvus Green-Ellis.  Taylor isn't great on passing downs or in short-yardage situations, so they will likely get his maximum effort on running downs for 5-10 carries a game.  This is an injury-prone group, so Taylor gives them quality depth and leadership.  This being the Patriots, however, Taylor will have to earn any role he gets.

New England was expected to be quiet in free agency because of all the money they are paying their quarterbacks, but that hasn't been the case.  Adam Schefter reports that they have reached agreement with Chris Baker, formerly of the Jets. Baker and Ben Watson figure to share the tight end job, but Baker is a better blocker. Plus he shares a distaste for Eric Mangini, which is worth a few brownie points with Belichick.

Finally, Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe reports that the Patriots are hosting cornerback Leigh Bodden for a visit.  The promising young cornerback would likely cost more than Baker and Taylor combined, but New England is awfully thin in the secondary.