Old friend Brandon Bolden is back in a Patriots uniform.

The Patriots signed a free agent yesterday but it wasn’t the splash free agent signing Patriots fans were hoping for.

Old friend Brandon Bolden is back after signing a two year deal on Wednesday. The Patriots also re-signed cornerback Jason McCourty to a two year deal, defensive end John Simon to a two year deal and wide receiver Phillip Dorsett to a one year deal.

The Bolden signing is interesting because the Patriots are deep at running back and have a lot of money committed to James White and Rex Burkhead. The addition of Bolden gives the Patriots five running backs on the roster including fullback James Devlin. Bolden and Devlin will primarily be special teamers but there is a glut at the position.

McCourty returning is not a surprise. There was mutual interest on both sides to get a deal done. He was an integral part of the secondary down the stretch and his touchdown saving deflection in Super LIII was one of the biggest plays in the game. Had the Rams scored a touchdown on the play, momentum would have been on their side. After a rough start in training camp, McCourty became more comfortable as the season went and versatile piece for Bill Belichick and his defensive staff.

Simon turned out to be a great fit when he was acquired last season. Not only was he a key contributor on special teams, but he also played in sub packages as an edge player who rushed the passer and dropped into coverage. The Patriots got a lot more out of Simon than many expected last season.

As for Dorsett, he did not have much of a market so he took the Patriots one year offer and will attempt to re-establish his market value with a productive season. Dorsett has gained the trust of both Tom Brady and the offensive coaches. Given the state of the Patriots receiving corp at the moment, Dorsett could end up playing a much bigger role than he did last season.

The Patriots are hardly ever aggressive at the start of free agency. They allow the market to play out and they try to find players who are good scheme fits and are affordable. They are by no means done adding players in free agency but don’t expect a splash signing at this point.