Through 10 weeks, the New England Patriots are currently slotted to be a playoff team. That doesn’t mean they’re without flaws, though.
Every team in the NFL has things it can improve on. And that’s something that ESPN writers decided to highlight as each team officially passed the halfway point in their on-field schedule in Week 10. New England currently sits at 5-4, good enough for last place in the AFC East, but also good enough to occupy the seventh and final spot in the AFC’s playoff field.
Here is what ESPN’s Jordan Reid identified as the Patriots’ biggest offseason need after examining the team through 10 weeks:
“Offensive tackle. The Patriots have lacked consistency along the edges of the offensive line; it has been one of the weak points of this offense,” Reid wrote. “With Trent Brown and Isaiah Wynn playing up and down, the team is in need of depth. Wynn is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season, which means a young upgrade will be needed. With the draft class rich in early offensive tackle talent, Georgia’s Broderick Jones is a prospect who could be a target in the top 20.”
The need could more accurately be described as two offensive tackles, with both Wynn and Brown set to become free agents following the season. Wynn has taken the brunt of New England fans’ frustrations, leading the NFL in penalties, while Brown hasn’t been much better and continues to show he’s a different player when not under the tutelage of Dante Scarnecchia. Both players have been benched on multiple occasions this season, and look like anything but franchise bookends.
Replacing one tackle is hard enough, but with each passing week it looks like the Patriots will be tasked with replacing two this offseason.
The Patriots are clearly not among the league’s most talented teams, but are hitting a point in their schedule where they can really make some noise and announce themselves as a contender or a pretender. That stretch starts Sunday when New England takes on the New York Jets in Week 11.
