Arguably the most significant offseason departure for the Patriots was someone who's never caught a pass, set a block or made a tackle for New England.
The Patriots lost longtime offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who left the organization after a 10-year second stint in Foxboro to become the new head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. Further compounding the impact of McDaniels' exit is how Bill Belichick approached replacing him.
New England elected not to bring in a new offensive coordinator. Instead, it appears the offensive coaching will be spearheaded by Joe Judge and Matt Patricia, who both returned to the Patriots after brief head-coaching tenures elsewhere. This dynamic could be problematic for any quarterback, let alone one who's entering only his second NFL season.
This ominous setup on the offensive side of the ball is Louis Riddick's biggest worry for the 2022 Patriots.
"The Patriots' lack of explosiveness on the outside was concerning going into last season, but I'm more concerned this year about who will be in the ear of Jones when it comes to his development and the playcalling," Riddick wrote in an ESPN column published Wednesday. "That continuity, relationship and chemistry is not easy to duplicate, and given the coaches Belichick is seemingly choosing from to take McDaniels' place -- including offensive assistants Joe Judge and Matt Patricia -- I have significant concerns."
It's probably a bit foolish to sound the panic alarm about the Patriots' offense months before the unit takes the field in a regular-season game. But McDaniels was such a steady and stable force in New England for so long that it's fair to be wary about this new era, regardless of who took over his duties.
