New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry (85), guard Mike Onwenu (71) and guard Sidy Sow (62), prepare to line up during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, October 22, 2023, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Greg M. Cooper, AP)

“I would argue that we did spend money,” Wolf replied. “We signed what we believed to be the greatest offensive lineman and tight end in free agency. They just happened to be guys who we kept. Kyle Dugger received a contract extension. We added pieces at practically every level of the team.”

The Patriots re-signed a lot of internal pieces this offseason — Onwenu, Henry, Kendrick Bourne, Anfernee Jennings, Josh Uche — and extended Christian Barmore, too.

“Draft and develop, that’s what we’re going to be,” Wolf stated. “That’s what we want to be. That’s where the core and foundation will reside. Some of our free agent signings involved extending players who we had already drafted and nurtured.

“So I think that’s the key. We were in on a lot of players (in free agency). Finally, at the end of the day, we decided they didn’t make financial sense because free agency is a hit or miss industry. We were hit or miss in 2021—we have a few guys who are still here and a few who did not work out—when we spent all that money. So every circumstance is different. We believe we did what was best for the team.