Even in a down season with a losing record, the New England Patriots came very close to a playoff berth. Being in the New England market and following various moron media personalities like Tom E. Curran and Greg Bedard, I’ve been alerted to every issue with the Patriots. While I don’t think the team is on the verge of imploding, they have a lot of issues that could be resolved this offseason.
Fire Matt Patricia
It was an interesting experiment, but boy did it flop. They had the 12th least passing yards with 3,815, 11th least passing touchdowns with 19, ninth least rushing yards with 1,812, and were tied in the bottom six with only 12 rushing touchdowns. A change in play calling is imperative. I don’t think New England should keep Patricia on the staff, I think they should dump him all together. This would be a smart move seeing that is play calling left much to be desired and that fans absolutely loathed him. This is the right move.
Hire Kliff Kingsbury As Offensive Coordinator
With Patricia out of New England, there is a vacancy at offensive coordinator. Promoting from within is always an option and may not be the worst. Troy Brown has been on the Patriots staff since 2020 and has experience coaching the running backs and wide receivers. It wouldn’t be ideal to promote him, but his exposure with the skills players could work. Another option is tight ends coach Nick Caley. Caley has been in Foxborough since 2015 and has worked with the fullbacks and tight ends. He’s a candidate for the Jets and Texans OC openings and if Belichick wants hold onto him, he’ll need to promote him to offensive coordinator.
Hiring within has its perks, but there’s an enticing name on the market. Former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who has one of the best offensive minds in the league, is a free agent. While he’s in Thailand right now and probably having a spiritual awakening, I can only assume he’s going to want to get back into coaching. He can implement an offensive system around RPOs that open up the deep shot for Mac Jones. He’d tailor the whole system around Jones and play to his strengths of getting the ball over the middle and using play action.
Draft A Big Play Wide Receiver
It’s been a barren wasteland in New England the past few years when it comes to big play pass catchers. With the 14th overall pick, they have prime real estate to draft a player like Jordan Addison or Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Both run great routes and have breakaway speed. New England has a lot of guys who can be efficient between five to fifteen yards, but they need someone to take the top off a secondary. This will open the run game up with safeties backing off and having to respect the pass.
Have Mac Jones And Bailey Zappe Compete For QB1
Yes, Mac Jones is the clear-cut number one, but competition never hurts. Bailey Zappe stepped in when Jones got banged up and played well. I think that a little competition between the two could pull the most out of Jones and elevate his play and aggressiveness. Obviously, the first step is naming or hiring someone as their offensive coordinator, but having these two young guns compete should be a priority for New England this offseason.
“Iron sharpens iron.”
Players To Keep
Linebacker Mack Wilson
Mack Wilson’s contract is up and he didn’t really light the world on fire in 2022. He totaled 36 tackles and one forced fumble so I think there’s some value to bring him back. New England could sign the 24 year old to a two year, two million dollar deal and have him as a rotational/special teams piece. He won’t start or get a high percentage of snaps, but he can come in to give the starters a rest.
Running Back Damien Harris
Even though Rhamondre Stevenson took over as the Patriots RB1, Harris is a good second punch. Harris rushed for 462 yards on 106 carries and three scores. At just 25, New England could build up a good one-two punch for the foreseeable future. Both are downhill runners and when Stevenson needs a break, Harris can take the wheel and not skip a beat.
Wide Receiver Jakobi Meyers
While the Pats wideouts aren’t the most desirable unit in the world, they should make an effort to keep Meyers around. He reeled in 67 passes for 804 yards and six touchdowns in 2022. At 26, New England should look to sign him to a three year deal to keep him until he’s 29 and then re-evaluate before he turns 30. I’d say a 9.5-11 million dollar deal is good value for a guy in the prime of his career.
Long Snapper Joe Cardona
This re-signing won’t make national news, but a good and consistent long snapper is tough to find. Cardona has become entrenched in the Patriots culture and letting him walk would stink. A fair deal would be a three year, 3.5 million dollar contract. Again, not a huge signing, but one that solidifies an important position for the next few seasons.
Players To Let Go
Cornerback Myles Bryant
This should make Patriots fans happy. Bryant was abysmal in coverage this season and had 70 tackles. 70 tackles is usually pretty good, but not when you’re a corner. That means you’re being targeted on a regular basis. He only posted 6 pass breakups and one interception in the 17 games he played. It’s definitely not worth re-signing the young defensive back.
Offensive Tackle Isaiah Wynn
Since entering the league in 2018, Wynn has been underwhelming. This past season perfectly encapsulated Wynns career thus far. He allowed four sacks, committed nine penalties, and posted a PFF grade of 54.6% on only 423 snaps. There is no value in bring him back as he played a third of the snaps of an average tackle and put up atrocious numbers.
Offensive Tackle Yodny Cajuste
Yodny Cajuste played a minimal role with the Patriots this season and was about as underwhelming as Wynn. He played only 197 snaps and allowed three sacks, committed one penalty, and recorded a PFF grade of 65.7%. I could see New England bringing him back on a one year deal worth $850,000, but anything over a million would be a true waste.
Wide Receiver Nelson Agholor
Agholor joined New England in 2021 on a two year, 26 million dollar deal. Yikes. In his two seasons with the Pats, he’s caught 68 passes for 835 yards and five touchdowns. There’s really no way I could see them resigning Agholor. He’ll be 30 by the start of the season and his production doesn’t really warrant a second contract.
Players To Sign In Free Agency
Wide Receiver Juju Smith-Schuster
If New England doesn’t have the mentality to draft a big-play pass catcher, then they should use their 44 million in cap space to sign a receiver. Juju Smith-Schuster is a viable option on a two year deal. He has a big catch radius and is efficient after the catch. Smith-Schuster could step in as the Patriots WR1 and be a life raft to Mac Jones. The Patriots could sign him to a two year, 17-19 million dollar contract and have their big play guy for the next two seasons.
Linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski
Nick Kwiatkoski’s efficiency has been on a steady decline since since leaving Chicago. I don’t see him getting meaningful snaps in New England if signed, but he’s a good special teamer. He’s also a solid coverage linebacker and could be used in multiple different defensive packages. Belichick could sign the 29 year-old to a 1 year, vet minimum deal.
Offensive Tackle Mike McGlinchey
I imagine that the 49ers will work hard to retain McGlinchey, but if contract talks fall through, New England would be an awesome landing spot for the 6’8 tackle. He allowed six sacks this season in one of the top pass rushing divisions. His size and length make him an optimal fit to replace either Trent Brown or Wynn at either tackle slot. I could see a contract for him looking like three years, 35 million or two years, 26 million.
Defensive Tackle Armon Watts
New England saw injuries on their defensive line this season and could benefit from a depth signing. Armon Watts was a decent run stuffer this season with Chicago and was playing on a four year, two million dollar deal. He tallied 35 tackles, five for loss, and one sack and New England could sign him on a two year, 1.5 million dollar deal.
Linebacker Deion Jones
Signing Kwiatkoski would be good for depth, but if New England wants someone who can play on all three downs and make plays, then they should splurge and sign Deion Jones. In ten games with Cleveland this season, he notched 44 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and three pass breakups. New England could sign the veteran linebacker to a four year, 16 million dollar deal and get a true playmaker.
