It’s no secret that this past year for the Patriots was a disaster. Despite barely missing out on the playoffs, the offensive coaching staff consisting of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge was one of the worst in the league.
In fact, in general the Patriots offense was disappointing. From the atrocious play calling, to the quarterback controversies, to the lack of a true superstar receiver (in a day and age where all contenders have one). The offense was just 17th in the NFL in points per game, thanks mostly to RB Rhamondre Stevenson, who tallied up nearly 1500 scrimmage yards.
The lackluster performances from the coaches, offensive line, quarterbacks, and receivers helped Patriots fans and staff realize one thing: changes must be made.
This began with the rearrangement of the coaching staff, an area in which it appears they are not finished making changes to. In addition to hiring Bill O’Brien as the Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks coach, the Patriots have also interviewed two possible candidates for their vacant Offensive Line coach position--Adrian Klemm and Ryan Wendell.
Despite their efforts so far, there are still changes to be made. Here are the first 3 things needed for the Patriots to succeed again next season.
HC Bill Belichick with coaches Matt Patricia and Joe Judge. Image via https://www.boston.com/sports/new-england-patriots/2022/08/15/bill-belichick-matt-patricia-joe-judge-playcalling-duties-longer-conversation/
1: Finish Coaching Staff Changes.
As I had said, the Patriots coaching staff was a complete disappointment this season. The play calling was poor, the offensive line unit was one of the most penalized in the NFL, and the special teams performances looked nothing like a typical season under Bill Belichick’s staff. As a coach who usually prides himself in focusing on specialists, Belichick’s Patriots are normally one of the best units across the league.
This season, it was quite the opposite. Punters Jake Bailey and Michael Palardy were two of the worst punters in the league. Bailey, who got a massive contract extension last August, only netted an average of 35.3 yards per punt. Not only was the punting a problem, but the Patriots return coverage was terrible, allowing two kick return touchdowns in the season finale against the Buffalo Bills.
So what’s next? The Bill O’Brien reunion as the OC/QB coach was the perfect start, a move that rejoiced many Patriots fans. O’Brien was the Patriots QBs coach from 2009-2011, while also being New England’s OC in that 2011 season before going on to be the Head Coach for Penn State (2012-2013) and the Houston Texans (2014-2020), and then becoming the OC at Alabama.
The O’Brien hiring filled in likely the biggest hole in the Patriots coaching staff, and should make the next coaching changes easier. The final two coaching changes should come at the OL and ST positions.
Patriots OC Bill O'Brien. Creator: Rodger Champion | Credit: Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics
Copyright: © 2020 Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics
The Patriots already have interviewed two possible candidates for their vacant OL coach position, with Oregon Running Game Coordinator Adrian Klemm, and Bills Assistant OL coach Ryan Wendell.
Both candidates have experience in the Belichick system, with Klemm winning three Super Bowls in New England as a player, from 2000-2004. Wendell played for the Patriots in the first eight seasons of his career, from 2008-2015, winning one Super Bowl.
Out of these two, who’s my pick for the job? I’d lean towards Wendell.
Although he has less coaching experience, Wendell played for New England more recently than Klemm, and has the potential to be a great coach. Klemm has previously had success, but also coached the Steelers OL as an assistant from 2019-2020, and as the main OL coach in 2021. In all of those years, the Steelers quite frankly did not have a good OL.
Although both candidates are a step in the right direction, with the Patriots realizing weak points on their team and making hires to fix it, I believe that Wendell is more likely to be able to develop into a great coach who sticks around for many years.
But the OL isn’t the only area where help is needed. The Patriots special teams this year were simply terrible. With Bill O’Brien taking over QB coach duties, that leaves the possibility of Joe Judge returning to his previous job of Special Teams coach. Judge worked with the Patriots special teams from 2012-2019, earning him the opportunity to become the HC of the Giants.
Moving Judge back to his old position could help the Patriots specialists return to their old form, back when they were one of the best units in the NFL, while current ST coach Cam Achord could stick around to become an assistant coach.
2: Find a #1 receiver.
Let’s face it: the Patriots WR core over the last few seasons has been disappointing. New England has lacked a true #1 receiver that can be targeted when needed, and can create separation. But, most importantly, the Patriots have lacked somebody who other teams truly have to gameplan for.
Although Jakobi Meyers has been good over the last few years, averaging more than 800 yards in the last two seasons, he is not as dynamic as somebody who will help you make a deep playoff run. Additionally, Meyers is up for a new contract and is free to join a new team if he pleases.
It’s simple, the Patriots NEED a guy who other teams have to worry about. Somebody who coaches will spend days trying to figure out how to contain him. All four teams in the NFL’s AFC/NFC Championship weekend had at least one elite pass catcher: the Eagles with AJ Brown/DeVonta Smith, the 49ers with Deebo Samuel/Brandon Aiyuk, the Chiefs with Travis Kelce, and the Bengals with Ja'Marr Chase/Tee Higgins.
So who should the Patriots get? New England could target somebody in the NFL Draft, in which they possess the 14th pick. Some of the bigger names in this draft include USC’s Jordan Addsion, Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njiba, TCU’s Quentin Johnston, or even Zay Flowers out of Boston College, a player who the Patriots coaching staff got to work with in the Shrine Bowl.
But due to the Patriots’, and Bill Belichick’s, struggles to draft successful receivers in early rounds, I think the better answer to New England’s problem would be through trade.
A few names to possibly pursue? Tee Higgins, DeAndre Hopkins, Mike Evans, or Jerry Juedy.
Higgins, drafted by the Bengals in 2020, has been nothing short of a superstar. Despite being the number two receiver for Cincinnati, behind Ja'Marr Chase, Higgins has still tallied up over 1,000 yards per season in the last two years, while also catching 74 passes in each of those seasons. With Higgins’ contract soon to expire, the Patriots would have to give him a massive contract extension, in addition to the trade compensation the Bengals would request.
Next up, DeAndre Hopkins. The Cardinals WR has long been one of the best pass catchers in the league, dating back to his years in Houston under Bill O’Brien. Hopkins seems to be the choice of many Patriots fans, partially due to the mutual respect between him and HC Bill Belichick.
Hopkins will turn 31 before next season, but his age could also help bring down the trade compensation required to obtain him. This season, he had over 60 receptions and 700 yards despite only playing nine games, missing six to suspension and the rest to injury. If the Patriots believe he can still play 12+ games at a high level this season, his high cap hit would absolutely be worth taking on to acquire him.
Fans have been yearning for a trade that would send Hopkins to New England. This past season, Hopkins was mic’d up in the Cardinals matchup versus the Patriots, in which a brief exchange with HC Bill Belichick included the two expressing their love and respect for each other. Hopkins has a no-trade clause in his contract, meaning he would have to approve of any trade including him. If he wants to be a Patriot, and the Patriots want him, there is a high possibility of a deal being done.
HC Bill Belichick shares a moment on the field with Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins. Image via https://www.bostonherald.com/2022/12/06/bill-belichick-deandre-hopkins-as-good-as-any-wide-receiver-ive-coached-against/
With the recent news of Tom Brady’s retirement, trade rumors have been swirling around discussing the possibility of the Buccaneers trading WR Mike Evans. Evans has been the definition of consistency since his rookie year, with over 1,000 receiving yards in every single one of his nine seasons. If the Buccaneers do indeed decide to move on from him to gain more draft capital, the Patriots should absolutely take a look into acquiring Evans.
Finally, rumors have been circulating of the possibility that the Broncos would be willing to part ways with Jerry Juedy. Juedy joined Denver in 2020 when he was selected with the 15th overall pick in the draft. Juedy is a flashy young receiver coming off of statistically his best season of his career so far. He set career highs in receptions (67), yards (972), and touchdowns (6). Although I’d prefer a veteran like Evans or Hopkins, or a more proven and productive young receiver like Higgins, Juedy by no means is a bad option. He has already proven to be a reliable target in his young career in Denver.
3: Fix the Offensive Line.
Finally, the Patriots absolutely need to fix their offensive line. More specifically, they need new Offensive Tackles.
On the interior, the Patriots linemen were incredible. Rookie Cole Strange had a great showing, playing 982 snaps and really picking it up towards the end of the season. The 29th overall pick in last year’s draft had been criticized by many who believed he was a day 2 talent, but he quickly proved them wrong
Along with him, guard Mike Onwenu had an incredible season, playing 100% of offensive snaps in 16 games, and 91% in the season finale against Buffalo. In all this time, he only allowed one sack, which earned him 15 All Pro votes. Despite not making an All Pro team, or being voted into the Pro Bowl, Onwenu was still statistically similar, if not better, than those voted in ahead of him.
And right in the middle, there is David Andrews. Andrews’ importance has always been felt by New England, as he has been one of the best players at his position for years. However, his importance was especially felt when he went down due to injury, as the offensive line immediately got substantially worse without him. With Andrews, Onwenu, and Strange on the interior, the Patriots inside OL should be set to go this season.
But then we move to the tackles, led by Trent Brown, Isaiah Wynn, and Connor McDermott.
McDermott was moved in as a starter towards the end of the season, due to an Isaiah Wynn injury that landed him on IR. In that time, he was serviceable, but nothing special. McDermott is up for a new contract, and should not be a part of any plan for fixing the OL, besides possibly bringing him back in as a backup.
As for Brown and Wynn, both were some of the most penalized players in the league this year. Wynn was penalized nine times, and Brown was penalized 13 times. Wynn is up for a new contract, and it seems like the chances of him being back are slim.
The combination of Wynn and Brown this season was simply disappointing, and it seemed throughout the whole season that if a play went wrong, it was due to one of these OTs.
The obvious solution to the Patriots’ problem seems to be to move Brown back to his old position, and to draft an OT in the first round of this year’s draft.
This season, Brown was moved from RT to LT, protecting QB Mac Jones’ blindside. If Brown is moved back to his old side, where he was previously very successful, a part of the Patriots’ OL problems may be fixed.
As for LT, it seems like drafting a prospect is the best choice. This year’s linemen free agency group is relatively strong, headlined by Chiefs LT Orlando Brown. Brown has been successful to this point in his career, but could command more than $15-18 million a year.
OL has been a position in which the Patriots are typically successful at drafting, and this year has multiple viable options that could be available for New England at pick 14. Some of the top options include Paris Johnson Jr from Ohio State, Peter Skoronski of Northwestern, Anton Harrison out of Oklahoma, and Georgia’s Broderick Jones.
All four of these players are great talents expected to go in the first round, with Johnson and Skoronski being widely regarded as the two best linemen in this year’s draft class.
If Johnson or Skoronski are available at pick 14, New England should have no problem with taking either one of them. If not, I would love the possibility of trading down a few picks, to a place where Jones or Harrison should still be available. Doing so would play a substantial part in fixing New England’s OL troubles, while also providing extra draft capital in a year where the Patriots could trade away a day 2 pick for a veteran receiver.
Article written by Zac Ventola.
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