What ESPN Believes Will Be Patriots’ Biggest Weakness Going Forward

The Patriots are pretty well set at the majority of position groups as we approach the halfway point of the regular season, but there is a glaring outlier.

New England’s cornerback depth leaves much to be desired. While the Patriots have an above-average No. 1 corner in J.C. Jackson, there’s cause for concern with the rest of the group in wake of recent events. ESPN believes cornerback will be the Achilles heel for Bill Belichick’s team the rest of the way.

“After trading Stephon Gilmore and placing top slot Jonathan Jones on injured reserve, the Patriots are thin at cornerback,” Mike Reiss wrote. “J.C. Jackson and Jalen Mills are the starters — with opponents often attacking Mills, as the Chargers did on their late TD on Sunday — and practice-squad call-up Myles Bryant is the top slot option. Joejuan Williams and Shaun Wade are next on the CB depth chart. Chargers coach Brandon Staley made the point that the Patriots played more zone than man Sunday, in part because of their short-handed situation.”

Reiss, of course, likely would be singing a different tune if Gilmore still was in the fold. The 2019 Defensive Player of the Year on Sunday will try to make the Patriots look like fools for trading him when the Carolina Panthers host New England for a Week 9 clash.