Welcome to the first New England Patriots mailbag of the 2023 offseason. Dive in and enjoy.
@LoganJakubajtys
Is CB, OT or WR the biggest draft need for them to attack early in Rds 1-2?
Depends on how the Patriots approach free agency, which opens six weeks before the draft. But to me, offensive tackle is their clear and obvious No. 1 positional need. Their only tackles currently under contract for the 2023 season are Trent Brown and 2022 seventh-rounder Andrew Stueber, and the Patriots could release Brown with only a minimal financial penalty if they choose to do so.
If I’m Bill Belichick, I’m spending on at least one proven free agent tackle and drafting one in the first or second round. They badly need to replenish this position group, which was the weakest on the team this season.
Early mock drafts peg Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski, Ohio State’s Paris Johnson and Georgia’s Broderick Jones as three tackles who could be available around New England’s top pick (No. 14 overall). If the Patriots keep that pick, it would be their highest since 2008, when they took Jerod Mayo 10th overall after a pre-draft trade.
I do view cornerback and receiver as positions of need, too, even if Jakobi Meyers and Jonathan Jones both re-sign. It’s been years since the Patriots have had a true No. 1 wideout, and they could use more height and length at corner.
@BradyRupp
What happens with OL coaching this offseason? Presumably Patricia is done calling plays, but does he remain as OL coach, or does someone else step in?
That’s a good question, and an important one. Matt Patricia caught a ton of heat this season, and deservedly so, but Belichick also put him in a borderline impossible spot.
Patricia was the only man in the NFL this season who called offensive plays while also serving as a primary position coach. The only one. The rest were offensive coordinators or head coaches.
We’ve seen guys call plays and coach quarterbacks in the past — Bill O’Brien and Josh McDaniels both did it in New England — but having your play-caller also be the offensive line coach is unheard of. Especially when the person doing it had never called offensive plays before and hadn’t coached O-linemen since 2005.
Considering all that, it’s no surprise the Patriots’ offense was a mess this season and their O-line play was a consistent problem. Patricia wasn’t experienced in either role, and his workload forced him to split his attention between the two. That setup made little sense at the time, and it proved to be a disastrous miscalculation.
It also makes it difficult to say whether Patricia actually could be a competent O-line coach if that was his only responsibility. Perhaps Belichick will stick with him in that job once the new offensive coordinator comes in. But I think a shift back to the Ernie Adams-esque advisory role he served in 2021 is more likely.
Patriots firings reportedly are unlikely this offseason, so there’s a good chance Patricia will be working for New England in some capacity in 2023.
The Patriots did announce Thursday night — in wholly uncharacteristic fashion — that they’re interviewing offensive coordinator candidates next week, so stay tuned for updates on the identity of Patricia’s successor.
@SethRawls25
How will we use Marcus Jones more in the future?
Jones was, on the whole, the Patriots’ most impressive rookie this season, and I’m very interested to see what their plans are for him in Year 2.
Defensively, I expect they’ll try to keep in the slot whenever possible. Injuries to Jalen Mills and Jack Jones forced him to play a lot of outside cornerback down the stretch, and while he wasn’t a disaster in that spot, his 5-foot-8, 175-pound frame was a predictable matchup issue against taller perimeter receivers.
Elsewhere, I wouldn’t be surprised as Jones emerged as the NFL’s No. 1 punt/kick returner next season, and the Patriots should continue to find ways to get him snaps on offense, as well. Three of his four receptions went for 12-plus yards, including a 48-yard screen-pass touchdown on his first career offensive snap.
Jones can’t be a full-time player on defense and offense, but his unique skill set makes him a legit weapon in all three phases.
@Billyaldrich40
Are either Matthew Slater or Dmac interested in joining the coaching staff? Has there been any talks of this in the building?
Devin McCourty has said he’s not interested in coaching, so don’t expect him to stick around on Belichick’s staff.
As for Slater, he said back in 2021 that he’d “keep an open mind toward” working for the Patriots once his playing days are over, “as long as it’s reasonable and it works for (his) family.” It’s unclear whether he still feels that way, and whether he’d want to coach or serve in some sort of player development role.
The longtime Patriots captains have yet to formally announce their plans for this offseason, but last week’s loss in Buffalo sure felt like the final NFL game for both of them.
