Time for another New England Patriots mailbag. Let's get right to your questions.
@frambrady33
Mac Jones to the Raiders for Carr & a pick?
I'm sure this will be a popular topic of debate over the next few months with the Derek Carr era now clearly over in Las Vegas. The Raiders announced this week that they're benching their longtime quarterback for the final two games, setting the stage for Carr's inevitable trade or release this offseason.
As for who will replace him, Tom Brady is both the most obvious and the most exciting candidate. His Buccaneers contract is up, and he has close to two decades of experience working with Raiders coach Josh McDaniels from their time together in New England. As long as Brady isn't planning to retire and doesn't mind relocating to Vegas, it's a natural fit.
But let's say that reunion doesn't materialize, for whatever reason. In that case, I could see McDaniels making a push to acquire Jones. The two had great chemistry during Jones' rookie season with the Patriots, with the young passer looking like a potential franchise QB in the making under McDaniels' direction. If McDaniels believes 2021 was more indicative of Jones' talent and potential than his slog of a 2022 campaign has been, it would make sense for him to inquire about his availability as Jones enters Year 3.
But would Bill Belichick make that trade? I doubt it. Not unless Brady chooses to return for one last ride as a Patriot before he walks away for good. It's also hard to see team owner Robert Kraft, who has a strong affinity for Jones, OKing a deal like that. Belichick has full control of the Patriots' roster management, but a move as seismic as trading your starting quarterback two years after drafting him in the first round would require ownership to sign off.
As for whether the Patriots should trade Jones for Carr, I'm on the same page as my fellow Patriots beat writer, Dakota Randall -- no way. Even if you believe the veteran would be a slight upgrade in the short term, he comes with a much, much, much higher price tag and a lower ceiling than Jones, who still could be salvaged if the Patriots make a few necessary offseason adjustments (more on those below).
You can read Dakota's full rationale here:
@WStckl
Who's playing outside corner on sunday besides Jon Jones?
We're still waiting to see whether Jalen Mills, Jack Jones or Marcus Jones can play against Miami. They'd be the top three options for that spot, likely in that order. But none of those three have practiced this week, meaning the Patriots could be extremely shorthanded at the cornerback position this Sunday.
And this is not an opponent against whom you want to be shorthanded at cornerback, not with the Dolphins boasting the NFL's most prolific receiver tandem in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
If Mills and both rookie Joneses are unavailable, the most likely cornerback setup for this week would be Myles Bryant in the slot and Jonathan Jones and Shaun Wade on the outside. Jones and Bryant are the top options in those spots regardless, but Wade is a total wild card.
Once a projected first-round prospect, Wade's rough final season at Ohio State caused him to slip to the fifth round of the 2021 draft, and he's hardly played since joining the Patriots in a trade during his rookie preseason. He played just 11 snaps across three appearances last season, spending most of the year in healthy scratch land. He's continued to reside at the bottom of the depth chart in 2022, playing in three games and logging 18 snaps.
With Mills and Jack Jones out last week, the Patriots carried Wade on the gameday roster against the Cincinnati Bengals but gave him just one snap. It was one to forget, as the 6-foot-1 cover man stumbled and allowed a touchdown to wideout Trenton Irwin.
If Wade has to see extended playing time Sunday, expect Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel to scheme up ways to get him matched up against Hill and/or Waddle, both of whom possess elite speed. This would be an ideal matchup for 5-foot-8 Marcus Jones, who's much better suited to cover these kinds of small, fast receivers than he is trying to win contested balls against 6-foot-4 Bengals wideout Tee Higgins like he was last week.
The Patriots also have two reserve options on their practice squad in long, athletic rookie Quandre Mosely and 25-year-old journeyman Tae Hayes. Mosely has yet to make his NFL debut. Hayes, who signed just this week, appeared in five games for Carolina earlier this season but played just 38 defensive snaps.
The Dolphins starting backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater rather than the injured Tua Tagovailoa should help the Patriots, but unless some of New England's corners are able to return, the receivers-versus-secondary matchup will be advantage: Miami.
@PatsFanInSC
1st round pick- WR, Tackle, Corner, or another position?
Tackle, 100%.
It's not sexy, but the Patriots' poor play and lack of depth there has been one of the single biggest issues for this year's team. I'd probably put it at No. 2 behind the offensive coaching setup. The Patriots haven't planned well for the future at the position, either, with only Trent Brown and 2022 seventh-round pick Andrew Stueber currently under contract for 2023. Cutting Brown would leave behind just $1.25 million in dead money, so that's an option, too, if the Patriots are eyeing a full-on tackle reset.
As I've stated in previous mailbags, if I'm New England, I'm using my top pick on a stud tackle and also adding at least one proven veteran through free agency or a trade. This is a position group the Patriots badly need to shore up ahead of next season.
@sphelan79
Can Mac rebound in year 3 with a better OC?
I believe he can. My three-point plan to fix Jones and the Patriots' offense this offseason would be to:
1. Bring back Bill O'Brien to replace Matt Patricia. It makes too much sense not to happen. O'Brien has been an offensive coordinator and a quarterbacks coach -- and done both successfully in New England, so there wouldn't be any worries about culture fit. He even has some familiarity with Jones from when they briefly overlapped at Alabama. Based on recent reports from multiple prominent voices, an O'Brien reunion seems likely. Hire him and reassign Patricia and Joe Judge to other roles more in line with their areas of expertise.
2. Make the aforementioned moves at offensive tackle.
3. Get Jones a high-end receiving threat. Nearly every playoff-caliber team in the NFL has at least one. The Patriots do not. The impending free agent wideout class is not especially impressive -- Jakobi Meyers and JuJu Smith-Schuster are the headliners -- so I'm all aboard the "trade for DeAndre Hopkins" train. Higgins is another name who's been mentioned as a potential Patriots target, but the Bengals might not be willing to part with Ja'Marr Chase's dynamite sidekick. Either one would instantly give New England the true No. 1 receiver it's lacked for years.
Maybe it's naive on my part, but I still see a path for Jones to become a quality NFL quarterback, assuming this nightmare season didn't completely destroy his confidence and leave him with irreparable bad habits.
I'm not saying he'll suddenly morph into Joe Burrow and the Patriots' offense will start scoring 35 points per game, but with a real offensive coordinator and a few roster holes patched, New England can at least field a respectable offense in 2023 that doesn't drag down its top-tier defense.
