The first six days of free agency have seen a dizzying pace of activity throughout the NFL. As for the Patriots, they’ve said goodbye to a pair of high-profile receivers and added two others, and also made some interesting moves on the defensive side of the ball.

While the team-building process that will go into the ultimate creation of the 2013 Patriots still is in its embryonic stages -- expect more help on both sides of the ball, especially considering the fact that this is considered to be a draft that is deep in areas of need for New England, including defensive back, defensive line and receiver -- are they better now than they were when the clock struck 4 last Tuesday afternoon?

On the defensive side of the ball, yes, they have gotten better, most notably in the secondary. They were able to add veteran safety Adrian Wilson, re-sign cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Kyle Arrington and jettison safety Patrick Chung. If Alfonzo Dennard is able to return without missing a beat, all of these moves will help stabilize the New England secondary, a group that made tremendous strides down the stretch in 2012. 

While there’s still time to add some more faces in free agency -- John Abraham? Dwight Freeney? Antoine Winfield? Ed Reed? -- the most noteworthy addition is Wilson, who instantly brings more thump to the secondary. Wilson is regarded as a big hitter who can play close to the line, providing run support and an occasional shot at the quarterback (he has 25.5 career sacks, including three last season).

At this point in his career, however, he projects mostly as a situational player -- perhaps he could fill the role of a hybrid defender, a position defined as the “money” spot on the New England defense. An oversized safety (6-foot-3, 230 pounds), he would work as an extra defensive back on passing downs, working in place of a linebacker. At the same time, even if the 33-year-old isn’t able to bring much to the field, he should be a positive veteran influence if he stays healthy — regarded as a high-character guy who is a good veteran presence, he could be a mentor for some of New England’s younger defensive backs.

On offense, the jury is still out. The biggest loss was wide receiver Wes Welker -- and it remains who was at fault for the move -- but New England was able to sign receivers Danny Amendola and Donald Jones, and also is in the mix for Emmanuel Sanders. While Amendola inevitably will be the one who is forever twinned with Welker (both undersized slot receivers who were undrafted, but eventually found a place in the league), it’s fair to say that the Patriots could rely in a combination of Sanders (if he ends up in New England), Amendola and tight end Aaron Hernandez -- three receivers who have extensive slot experience -- to try and replicate Welker’s production in 2013.

To a lesser extent, expect the remaking of the backfield to follow the same template. With the loss of Danny Woodhead, who signed a two-year deal with the Chargers, expect a combination of people to try and fill his responsibilities, with Shane Vereen figuring to be chief among those replacements. Vereen certainly showed a multidimensional flair at the end of last season -- he ended the season with 62 carries and eight catches -- and based on previous experience (he caught 74 passes as a collegian at Cal), he could be the guy who gets the majority of targets out of the backfield now that Woodhead is gone.

Then, there’s the possibility of Leon Washington working as a part-time back as well. The 30-year-old is not the same offensive threat he was in the past -- he was downright Sproles-ian in 2007 and 2008 when he averaged more than 70 carries and 40 catches in those two seasons -- but could still get some situational work in the role of third-down, changeup back. After all, he’s averaged 7.7 yards per catch over the course of his career, and had 146 career catches and 1,127 receiving yards.

It’s likely that Washington’s true value will be in the return game, where he will be asked to bring some much-needed stability. The Patriots haven’t had a consistent kick-return threat since Ellis Hobbs III was dealt to Philadelphia in the spring of 2007. Last year was up-and-down at best -- Devin McCourty did finish with a memorable 104-yard kick return, but that was about it when it came to positives. Overall, the Patriots averaged just 21.2 yards per kickoff return last season, 25th in the NFL — meanwhile, Washington was second among returners with a 29.0 yard average as a member of the Seahawks. (The presence of Washington also presents something of a domino effect for the Patriots, who now will allow McCourty to go back to working as a full-time defensive back, which is a good thing.) In the end, however, the Washington-for-McCourty swap at kick returner is an upgrade for New England, which means the special teams has improved.

Ultimately, it’s important to remember that while New England rarely pushes all its chips to the middle of the table when it comes to free agency, what the Patriots traditionally have done is oversign many of the NFL’s veteran middle class -- that is to say, go after guys who have been around the league for a few years and see what sort of fit they might be in Foxboro. In the end, they sift through the pile of those signees throughout the spring and summer months as they find out who can still play and who can’t. While there will be plenty of situations like Joseph Addai, Anthony Gonzalez and Jonathan Fanene, the process will also yield hidden gems like Andre Carter and Rob Ninkovich. The Patriots hope that this year’s class yields more of the latter than the former.