I would say they are still elite, like top 5 overall. They were no 2 against the pass last year, and will be better with ed up front pressuring the qb on passing downs up the middle. People talk about how you have to pressure brady to win, and that is true. But they leave out HOW to pressure him. He cannot take pressure up the middle. He can get the ball out quickly if pressure is coming from the edge, but does struggle if he is forced to escape the pocket from pressure up the gut.
The more i think about it, the more i think this is where McDermott and Frasier were going with the moves they made this offseason. Only time will tell if they were correct.