After 11 straight AFC East division titles (and 11 playoff appearances), the New England Patriots failed to make the postseason in their first year without Tom Brady. It all started in late June when they brought in former MVP quarterback Cam Newton. The fanbase was ecstatic about this move since what thought they were getting was a franchise caliber player who could lead a team to victory. Instead, the Patriots ended their season with a miserable 7-9 record where Newton threw for under 3000 yards and more interceptions than touchdowns. However, it wasn’t all Cam’s fault despite his lack of accuracy. The Patriots organization failed to surround Newton with offensive weapons to make his life in the pocket easier. 2nd year receiver N’keal Harry lost out on a chance to be the number one guy while racking up just over 300 yards in 14 games. The play calling was questionable for a lot of the season and the defense was average at best. Despite the lousy season, there were many positives on both sides of the ball. COVID-19’s impact on the NFL also prevented teams from having a complete offseason but can that really be an excuse for a historical organization that won 6 super bowls in 20 years?  

Position in Need: Quarterback

For the first time in a while, New England’s roster needs a lot of work done to it. They possess an uneven roster with heavy depth in one position but none in the other. With over $63.5 million in cap space (3rd in the NFL), NE will have a lot of options. Let’s start on the offensive side. Obviously, quarterback is a must for the Patriots as Cam Newton is set to be a free agent and backup Jarett Stidham has yet to get a start through two years. He is unproven and in the times he has played, Stidham has looked like an average backup, at best. Free agency for QB’s in 2021 is somewhat underwhelming. It features possible “bridge” quarterbacks like Ryan Fitzpatrick, Andy Dalton, Jameis Winston, and former Patriot Jacoby Brissett. These are serviceable players who could help develop a young player if New England were to take one in the draft. With the best free agent QB Dak Prescott most likely going back to Dallas, the options are limited. Another potential target could be Bears QB Mitch Trubisky. The former #2 overall pick seems to be receiving very little interest from Chicago. The second route that the Pats could take is the trade route. Former Patriot Jimmy Garapollo’s time in San Francisco may be coming to an end as he is being paid over $27 million and cannot seem to stay healthy. New England missed out on a chance to trade for former Lions (now Rams) QB Matthew Stafford even though it may have taken multiple first round picks. Other low end quarterbacks that could be traded for/signed include: Gardner Minshew, Marcus Mariota, Joe Flacco, and Nick Mullens. These are all unlikely but definitely possible. 

The last option and most popular one among the fanbase is to go young. The 2021 NFL Draft is stacked with talent, especially at the quarterback position. Although Clemson star Trevor Lawrence won’t be available as he is projected to go first, there are many other players with lots of potential. New England holds the 15th pick in the draft which is the highest since 2008. One player that is supposed to be available is Alabama’s Mac Jones. He is a smart, decisive, and quick thinking player, and when he gets into rhythm, he delivers passes with speed and accuracy. He also dominated the CFB National Championship as Jones completed 36 of 45 passes for 464 yards, five touchdowns along with 0 interceptions. Still, questions remain regarding his athleticism and mobility. Depending on how teams see him, he could easily be a mid-first round pick. Not to mention, Bill Belichick and Nick Saban (Alabama HC) have a great relationship. New England could also decide to trade up for either Justin Fields from OSU, Trey Lance out of North Dakota St, or BYU’s Zach Wilson although it is doubtful. No matter what, every good NFL team needs a feasible QB for the rest of the roster to play well and the Patriots are in dire need of one. 

Skill Players

Although Cam Newton wasn’t amazing in the 2020 season, the surrounding cast was widely regarded as the major issue. Running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends are considered skill players in today’s NFL. For New England, they struggled to pass the ball efficiently. The early loss of star slot-receiver Julian Edelman didn’t help either. The Patriots were left with N’Keal Harry, Jakobi Meyers, Dameire Byrd, and 2 unproven 3rd round picks at tight end (Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene). Their receiving corps only hauled in 8 touchdowns with 3 of them going to running backs. Meyers finished as the leading receiver with 729 yards (the league average for a #1 receiver is about 1000 yards) while Byrd and Harry only added another 913 yards combined. These stats go to show that New England was well below average in these categories and should look to be aggressive in free agency and/or the draft. 

Chris Godwin, Allen Robinson, Juju Smith-Schuster, Marvin Jones Jr, Kenny Golliday and Will Fuller highlight the 2021 wide receiver class in free agency. Godwin, coming off a superbowl victory, is due for a large paycheck, however many experts see him coming to New England despite the lack of aggressiveness in recent years from Belichick. Another potential option would be Carolina’s Curtis Samuel who quietly put up 851 yards. His slot type of play would fit right into the system in Foxborough and Patriots OC Josh McDaniels could use him in many ways. 

The draft class is also stacked with receivers such as Ja’Marr Chase, Devonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, Rashod Bateman, Rondale Moore, Kadarius Toney, and many more. Although the Patriots organization is known for not being amazing at developing highly drafted wide receivers, the talent in the 2021 class is incredible and could be worth taking a risk. Rondale Moore is the one receiver who truly stands out to me. With Edelman getting older, NE is in need of a true slot man which Moore provides. A trade up to the early second round could get it done for the kid out of Purdue. 

The tight end position is confusing for the upcoming season. Keene and Asiasi failed to make an impact on the offense. Despite the weak production (5 catches, 55 yards, and 1 touchdown between the two of them), I doubt Bill Belichick will move completely away from them. Florida’s Kyle Pitts is probably the best tight end prospect we have seen in years and could be available at 15 for NE. Standing at 6’6”, he is a matchup nightmare for all defensive players. People consider Pitts a receiver as well. He is known as an “F” tight end meaning he can line up out wide, in the slot, or on the line. If Pitts is available, it would be hard to pass up on him. Fans think it would be a no brainer, however, I don’t think the tight end position is a must in the draft. The smart thing to do is to bring in an experienced player in free agency who can mentor the two young guys. There are many players who could fill this role such as Jared Cook, Gerald Everett, Dan Arnold, Trey Burton, and Jonnu Smith. Hunter Henry is another player who the Patriots could spend big on as he is the number one TE on the market although developing the youngins could be the way to go. 

Running backs are another tricky situation. NE is known to always have a very deep backfield consisting of hard downhill runners and elusive pass catchers that have consistently had success. After a great rookie season, Sony Michel has quieted down quite a bit despite his success at the end of last season. Damien Harris, a third-round pick out of Alabama, has found success with the Patriots finishing with 691 yards on 137 carries and the team's leading rusher. J.J. Taylor also showed flashes of talent and could be a replacement for the older backs. The future is bright between these three but the rest remains unknown. James White is a free agent and would be a huge loss in the passing game as he has always been a threat out of the backfield. Rex Burkhead is also on the market and was having a career year before tearing his ACL. I don’t see Belichick being overly aggressive at this position besides a couple of small and cheap signings. 

The Defense

The New England Patriots finished 7th in overall team defense at the end of the 2021 season, pretty impressive for a unit that lost multiple key players to opting out of the season due to COVID. Despite their stellar performance, the defense is very thin at multiple positions going into next year. Linebacker, interior linemen, edge rushers, and even the secondary have many uncertainties. Adam Butler, Lawrence Guy, Deatrich Wise, and John Simon are all free agents as well. NE usually doesn’t go for big name free agents on either side of the ball and don’t expect them to this year, but there are some great players going on the market. 

The defensive line and linebackers are the main places that NE has to address in the offseason. Although they get Dont’a Hightower back, they still need more depth at the position. Shaq Barrett or Bud Dupree could be possible targets for an elite “EDGE/LB” although they want a lot of money. The draft could also provide young talent. In many mock drafts, experts see Penn State ILB Micah Parsons falling to number 15 despite him being a top 5 prospect. Personally, he would be my main target for the team. Parsons’s talent is elite and would fit right in. For the line, both Guy and Butler are priorities for this team. They both are very solid linemen who can stuff the run and rush the QB. However, due to cap space, the Patriots may not be able to retain both these players. Kawaan Short could be a replacement for one of the two. Veteran presence/mentorship is needed and Short would do just that as well as being a solid player. Furthermore, Kwity Paye, Christian Baremore, Levi Onwuzurike, Gregory Rousseau, and Patrick Jones II are all great front 7 prospects in the draft and could be available at 15. 

Locked Down

Cornerback, safety, and the offensive line all are positions that NE can take their minds off, for the most part. Stephon Gilmore (former DPOY) may get moved this offseason as regression has shown and his salary is very high at 30 years old. If he were moved, J.C. Jackson would have to take over. He was amazing at the #2 spot but is unproven when covering the best of the best. NE could look to draft a defensive back in the mid to late rounds for depth. As for safety, McCourty, Dugger, and Chung have it secured. The OL is tricky. LT, RG, and RT are all secure. With all-pro Joe Thuney most likely departing, the left guard spot will need to be filled. Center David Andrews is also a FA but New England is very likely to retain him. Ideally, the Pats need to restructure right tackle Marcus Cannon’s contract. He is making over $6 million a year and is aging fast. If he were to take a team friendly deal, surprise star Michael Onwenu could move to replace Thuney (LG) as he replaced Cannon (opted-out) at RT the majority of the year. If Cannon were to retire or get cut, the team would save about $7 million in cap space so it is really a win/win. 

The Verdict

Clearly, NE has a lot to do in the offseason. With a lot of money to spend and a high draft pick, this team could easily be back in the playoffs next year. It all depends on how they decide to spend and draft. We New Englanders all want to get a great wide receiver, a star quarterback, a prolific edge rusher, and a punishing linebacker but that just isn’t how it works in Foxborough. The “Patriot Way” is unique and has worked in recent years but without Brady, it may be time to move on.