The New England Patriots made a huge splash in NFL free agency Monday by agreeing to sign defensive tackle Milton Williams.

The 25-year-old star played the first four seasons of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles. He developed from a 2021 third-round draft pick into a dominant pass rusher who played an important role in the Eagles' Super Bowl LIX championship last season.

Williams was an expensive addition for New England. He agreed to a four-year contract worth $104 million, including $63 million guaranteed, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Williams' average yearly salary of $26 million actually makes him the highest-paid player in Patriots history, surpassing Tom Brady's previous record of $25 million per year.

Let's take a look at three stats that highlight the kind of impact Williams could have for head coach Mike Vrabel's defense.

91.7

This was Williams' pass rush grade from Pro Football Focus last season (including the playoffs), which ranked No. 1 among all defensive tackles.

Williams set a career high with five sacks in the regular season and two more in the playoffs.

His mix of power and agility makes him a tough player for opposing offensive linemen to block and often results in double teams, which frees up other pass rushers. It's a skill set the Patriots desperately need after they tallied a league-low 28 sacks last season.

12.5 percent

According to Next Gen Stats, Williams generated the second-highest pressure rate among defensive tackles last season at 12.5 percent. Only Denver Broncos defensive tackle John Franklin-Myers (12.6 percent) ranked ahead of Williams.

Williams was especially dominant in the playoffs. He tallied three or more pressures in all four of the Eagles' postseason matchups, including a fantastic Super Bowl LIX performance against the Kansas City Chiefs in which he had four tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery to help lead Philly to a Lombardi Trophy.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Philadelphia Eagles (@philadelphiaeagles)

Williams was among the top candidates for Super Bowl MVP, but the award ultimately went to quarterback Jalen Hurts.

1

Williams has missed only one game in four seasons as an NFL player. It came during the 2023 campaign when he played in 16 games. He played in all 17 matchups in 2021, 2022 and 2024. This kind of durability is quite valuable.

It should be noted that Williams has never played in more than 50 percent of his team's defensive snaps over a full season. He played a career-high 48 percent of Philly's defensive snaps last season. The Eagles were able to rotate guys in and out given their excellent depth on the defensive line, which helped keep everyone fresh.

If Williams plays a lot more snaps in New England, how will that impact his ability to play all 17 games? We'll find out at some point.