FOXBORO, Mass. — All indications are that Matt Patricia will be the offensive line coach for the Patriots in 2022, with help from assistant Billy Yates. The former New England defensive coordinator and Detroit Lions head coach basically confirmed his role during a recent press conference, and he’s worked almost exclusively with offensive linemen during spring practices.
So, how’s he doing after not coaching offensive linemen since 2015?
Center David Andrews offered thoughts on Patricia after Wednesday’s minicamp practice, as did Isaiah Wynn, who’s been a left tackle since arriving in New England but spent all week at right tackle. During Tuesday’s practice, Wynn spent extended 1-on-1 drill time with Patrica while the rest of the linemen got a breather.
Andrews: “Matty P’s done a great job. You know, him and (Yates) have done a great job working with us. Two guys with a lot of football knowledge. Obviously, Billy played here and has kind of been on both sides of it. So, I think they’ve done a good job. Like all of us, we’re just trying to work through this.
” … Look, we’ve had new staff members all the time — new offensive line coaches all the time, things like that. So, that’s just part of this business. New teammates, new coaches, it happens every year.”
Wynn: “It’s great. Coach Matty P been around for a while. … Especially having him on the offensive side of the ball, you know, he knows everything about defense. So, we also get to see that perspective. So, it’s been great.”
Of course, coaching the offensive line might night be the only role Patricia fills for the Patriots this season.
The 47-year-old has split time with Bill Belichick and Joe Judge calling offensive plays this spring and handled the bulk of the work during Tuesday’s practice. It wasn’t immediately clear who had the edge during Wednesday’s session.
Still, a recent report indicates Patricia has emerged as the “early favorite” to land offensive play-calling duties this season. Whether that’s the best course of action for the Patriots to take in Year 2 of the Mac Jones era is up for debate, but there’s no denying Patricia’s overall football intelligence.
The Patriots canceled Thursday’s scheduled minicamp finale but will return next week for two voluntary OTAs practices. After that, New England will go on an extended break before beginning training camp sometime in late July.
Hopefully, the Patriots by then will have made at least one of Patricia’s coaching roles official.
