The Patriots are currently standing at 4-13, after winning their last game on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. This season has been a total dud at almost every aspect of the team, except for their rookie quarterback Drake Maye. Talk about the draft, trades, and free agencies that have been circulating recently, as well as talk about a new coach. Who are the potential new players and who would they replace?
Starting with the offense, the first and major sore spot is the offensive line. With a talented quarterback to protect, their offensive line has been atrocious. Lowe and Jacobs are very clearly holes within the offense, never being able to give Maye more than a couple of seconds in the pocket. They have been without David Andrews for most of the season, which would be a plus next season. Unless he decides to retire, he will return as center. Cole Strange, who had been on IR for the majority of the season, would move to left guard and Mike Owenu would either stay at right guard or move to right tackle, depending on who the Patriots acquire; it is easier to find rookies to play guards rather than tackles. There aren’t many tackles or guards who are free agents this coming year, except for Trey Smith and Roney Stanley. They both play for powerhouse teams, the Chiefs and Raven respectfully, and would be crucial to next season. Drafting one in the first couple of rounds could also be beneficial. Going for Will Cambell or Kelvin Banks Jr could be worth it in the long run.
The wide receivers are also a very destitute lineup, having only one or two good players. Stefon Diggs, Tee Higgins, and Chris Godwin are all free agents this year, and although many teams will fight for them, we need to win. The only decent receivers we have now are Douglas and Boutte, as well as Henry and Hooper as tight ends. Ja’Lynn Polk has been a huge disappointment, as well as Bourne this year. Acquiring one of these strong, reliable, and experienced wide receivers would be very valuable to Drake Maye.
Our running game is also mediocre. I would get rid of Stevenson and get a new running back in one of the last rounds of the draft. Backs are notorious for burning out in a couple of years, so there’s no point in spending a ton of money on one. Unless he has the talent of Jahmyr Gibbs, Derrick Henry, or Saquon Barkley, it’s pointless. Getting a crucial third down back would be perfect for this team who are almost last on third down conversions.
Now defense. Although at the beginning of the season, they looked fast and strong, it has been a rough last month or two. One big aspect of their game that seemed invisible in later weeks was their pass rush. They only have a total of 22.5 sacks, 9 of which came in one single game. Compare that to the Broncos, who have 58.0 sacks this season. A quick edge rusher would be effective on this defense, like how both Tedy Bruschi and Dont’a Hightower were able to change games during their times. Right now, they don’t have a player of that caliber. There are a couple of potential players in the upcoming draft who could fill this position, like James Pearce Jr. or Abdul Carter. Getting someone like Khalil Mack as a free agent would boost this defense tremendously.
Cornerbacks and safeties are up and down for us. Christian Gonzales is undoubtedly the best defensive player we have now, but there isn’t a second player I would trust to guard their opposition’s second-best player. Jonathan Jones has his moments but keeps getting beat. Both Austin and Mapu are decent and somewhat reliable, but we could benefit from a top-of-the-line cornerback. Unfortunately with their latest win, getting Travis Hunter might not happen. He would 100% be the best first-round pick, so fingers crossed. Someone like Benjamin Morrison from Notre Dame would be a good addition instead. Both Charvarius Ward and Rasul Douglas are free agents in 2025 as well. As for safeties, Kyle Dugger is terrible at pass coverage and can only play well when he’s in the box. Getting another safety like Devin Macourtey would help the Patriots tremendously. Jevon Holland would be a good addition, or getting someone young in the draft. The Patriots need to take this draft and next year as a building year to even have a chance at the playoffs in the future.
To actually compete, they need to change their coaches. They fired Jerod Mayo, the absolute best decision. Now they need to get a coach who will build this team. Their first option is Mike Vrabel. In a perfect world, the Patriots would also get Josh McDaniels as the offensive coordinator, and Brian Flores as the defensive coordinator. That is very unlikely to happen, but we can dream. Other potential coaching options could be Ben Johnson as head coach, the offensive coordinator for the Lions, and/or Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator. Hopefully, Robert Kraft and Elliot Wolf use this offseason wisely and we can see the Patriots win again in the future.
