Coach/GM
With Bill gone, the biggest question was who will replace him as head coach and GM. We now know that it’s Jerod Mayo as the HC. I loved Mayo as a player and from what everyone is saying, it seems like he’s a great coach and a guy who players will love playing for. My only apprehension is that he is a defensive guy and in today’s NFL, offense is key – especially for the Pats who have a terrible offense and need to fix it. I think it’s time to cut bait with Bill O’Brien and to try to bring Josh McDaniel’s back as the Pats OC. He is a great OC and can ideally be the Pats long-term OC as he likely won’t get another head coaching job.
Ideally their new GM will come from an organization that has a history of drafting quality offensive talent like 49ers Assistant GM Adam Peters. We need to revamp the front office and bring in fresh ideas on how to draft offensive skill players.
Roster:
Their offense is absolutely terrible. They ranked last in points scored and 28th in yards. This is the main aspect of the team that needs a complete overhaul.
The most obvious part of the rebuild is that the Pats really need to draft a QB with their first round pick because no QB on the Pats is the answer right now. Mac Jones has not been in a good situation the past two years, with some inept offensive coaching and a lack of weapons, but he still needs to be cut or traded. He has a terrible arm, is not athletic, and has awful body language. Bailey Zappe is a solid backup to have, but not a starter.
The 3 pick is a tough situation to be in, though. Caleb Williams and Drake Maye will likely be off the board. Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr., and JJ McCarthy all have some red flags and 3 seems too high to take any of those guys.
Ideally the Pats would trade up to 1 or 2 to get Williams or Maye. If not, I would hope they would trade back a couple picks and draft the third best QB in a better value spot, like 5 or 6. If neither of those options are possible, I wouldn’t hate drafting a guaranteed STUD like WR Marvin Harrison Jr or TE Brock Bowers, either at #3 or trading back a couple picks and then selecting one.
Bottom line is the number 3 draft pick ideally needs to turn into our franchise QB, but at minimum needs to lead to a bona fide star who will be a pillar of the franchise for the next decade. I’m talking a Hall of Fame level player. This draft is stacked, it is inexcusable to get anything less.
Running back is in a solid place with Rhamondre Stevenson having one year left and Eziekiel Elliot potentially returning on a one year deal. They should draft another RB in the mid rounds this year.
The Pats have the worst WR room in the entire league and they need a legitimate number 1 and number 2 receiver. Demario Douglas was solid with 548 yards, but isn’t much more than a #3 WR. Kendrick Bourne was on pace for 863 yards before getting injured, but he will be 29 next year and is probably not much better than a #3 option too. They should resign Bourne if the money is right, but should not feel bad about walking away. Devante Parker and JuJu Smith-Schuster sucked this year and we should move on from them. Tyquan Thornton looks like a huge bust, but should be given one more chance due to his speed. A WR should be drafted with one of their first 2 picks. They should also use their $74.2 million in cap space to get a great free agent WR like Tee Higgins, Mike Evans, or Michael Pittman Jr. I’m fine overpaying for one of those guys because it’s such an important position and a huge need.
At TE Hunter Henry is a solid option, who they should resign. Mike Gesicki is bad and they should let him walk. They should also look for another TE in the mid rounds of the draft.
Their offensive line struggled this year, a lot of it due to injury. They have some solid pieces in Cole Strange, Michael Onwenu, Trent Brown, and David Andrews. They should resign Onwenu and Brown, look to draft some new lineman, and maybe sign LT Tyron Smith, if he’s available.
All things considered, their defense was amazing this year. They ranked 17th in points against (in large part due to the offense turning over the ball in bad field position so many times) and 6th in yards, despite losing their two best players early in the year. S Kyle Dugger, DL Christian Baremore, LB Juwan Bentley, CB Christian Gonzalez, EDGE Matthew Judon, and S Jabril Peppers provide a solid nucleus. Dugger is a free agent and they should sign him if the money is right. If not, losing a safety is not a huge deal. Judon will likely want a new deal. Even coming off an injury, I’d be happy to sign him to a highly paid two year deal since he’s been our best player the last three years. There are some game changing free agents potentially available in DT Chris Jones, EDGE Josh Allen, EDGE Brian Burns, DT Justin Madubuike, EDGE Daniel Hunter, and LB Patrick Queen. I know not all of the guys will end up being free agents, but if they are, go try to get some of them.
Special Teams was not good this year. K Chad Ryland stinks and hit 62.5% of field goals. He was a complete waste of a 4th round pick, but you probably have to give him another chance. Returner Marcus Jones should be back next year. With ST Matthew Slater leaving, someone will have to fill that void.
The Pats have potential to be respectable next year and great from then on out if things go their way this offseason. They had 8 losses by one possession, 3 of which occurred with the defense allowing 10 points or fewer. Whoever replaces Bill as GM needs to get a new QB and some offensive weapons. They also need to spend aggressively in free agency, with some potential great players available. With Bill and Slater leaving, they also need to find their new identity next year. New leaders need to step up and lead the Pats to a new Golden Age.
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