Image courtesy of Washington Commanders

The Pats are on the board when it comes to free agency.

The legal tampering period opened at noon on Monday and about 2.5 hours later, Ian Rapoport was first to report the Patriots are signing former Washington running back Antonio Gibson to a three-year deal.

Gibson hit the market for the first time after spending his first four seasons in Washington. Gibson was taken 66th overall in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft. During his time in Washington, Gibson ran for 2,643 yards and 22 touchdowns on 642 carried. His only 1,000-yard season was in 2021 (1,037), but, with Rhamondre Stevenson still under contract, this feels like more like the Pats finally filling the void left by James White a couple years ago.

Gibson caught 36, 42, 46 and 48 balls in each of his first four years in the league. He’s got 1,283 yards receiving and seven TD’s in his career. He will turn 26 in June and did have four fumbles last season, but he’s also listed at 6’2,” 220lbs on Pro Football Reference and has strong YAC numbers once he gets into space.

The Patriots’ new shot callers Eliot Wolf and Jerod Mayo now have signed Hunter Henry, Kendrick Bourne, Chukwuma Okorafor and Gibson as part of the 2024 free agency class. It’s a good start, but hopefully more help is on the way as New England tries to revamp one of the worst offenses in league history.