Patriots Mailbag: Why There’s Reason For Pats Optimism In 2023

Time for another New England Patriots mailbag. Let’s dive right in.

@jonothorpejazz
Do you think this the Pats are done adding coaching? What do you think of the set up?
I like the moves Bill Belichick has made so far.

Bill O’Brien was the ideal choice to take over as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Adrian Klemm doesn’t have a ton of NFL position coach experience, but he’s spent close to a decade coaching the offensive line and run game at the college level. He has a reputation for connecting well with players and should be a significant upgrade over Matt Patricia. Will Lawing, who likely will replace Nick Caley as tight ends coach, is a bit of an unknown, but O’Brien clearly likes him, bringing the 37-year-old with him from Penn State to Houston to Alabama and now to New England.

As for whether the Patriots are done adding, I think there’s still room for another hire or two. Since O’Brien is both coordinating the offense and coaching QBs, I wouldn’t be surprised if they added an assistant QBs coach to help him out.

That’s not an absolute necessity — O’Brien didn’t have an assistant QBs coach during his first Patriots stint — but it would lighten his workload while also grooming a potential successor in the event that O’Brien leaves for a head-coaching job in the near future.

We also don’t know whether the Patriots will be doing any restructuring on the defensive side of the ball — Jerod Mayo’s post-extension title remains a mystery — or on special teams. It appears Joe Judge is sticking around in some capacity, but his new role still is unclear.

@msnblack
Judon recently said how much he loves Boston and playing for the Patriots and his signing has been a homerun for the team. Where do you think he ranks amongst the most impactful free agents BB has signed over the years?
Matthew Judon has been everything the Patriots could have asked for in his first two seasons in Foxboro. He’s made back-to-back Pro Bowls, led the team in sacks both years (28 total, nearly twice as many as second-place Josh Uche’s 14 1/2) and has been a phenomenal addition to New England’s locker room from a team culture standpoint.

The issue, though, is that many of Bill Belichick’s best free agent signings played key roles on championship teams. As great as Judon has been, the Patriots haven’t even won a playoff game during his tenure, so it’s hard to rank him above guys like Rodney Harrison, Stephon Gilmore, Mike Vrabel, Rob Ninkovich and even Darrelle Revis, who was only here for one season but was one of the best players on a Super Bowl-winning defense. Antowain Smith is up there, too.

I’d stick Judon somewhere in the No. 5-8 range, with the potential for upward mobility if the Patriots return to contender status while he’s still in town.

Patriots Positional Outlook: Why Pressure Is On Mac Jones In 2023

Feb 16, 2023

@_sfhoops
Do you think it’s necessary to draft a corner with size
Either draft or sign one. The Patriots were too short at cornerback this past season, especially after Jalen Mills went out, and that hurt them against teams with bigger receivers like Cincinnati.

Jonathan Jones, Jack Jones, Marcus Jones and Myles Bryant all are between 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-11, and Mills is 6 feet. Their only corner who could be considered “long” was Shaun Wade, and he only played 18 snaps all season.

Right now, adding some size at cornerback looks like the Patriots’ top defensive need, though free safety might supersede that if Devin McCourty retires. Notable names set to hit free agency include James Bradberry, Patrick Peterson, Marcus Peters, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Byron Murphy and Greedy Williams (and Jonathan Jones, who played well overall this season in his move from the slot to outside).

The Patriots could opt to swing big by trading for someone like Jalen Ramsey, who could be on the trade block in Los Angeles.

@NickFeaston10
Would it be crazy to think the pats either make a run at any of the bigger name QBs that are being thrown around (carr, Rodgers, Jackson, jimmy g) or take a mid round QB in the draft? With Mac struggling, is there any possibility to that?
It’s not an outlandish suggestion. Mac Jones certainly didn’t look like a no-doubt franchise QB this season, and Belichick’s refusal to publicly commit to him as the Patriots’ starter fueled speculation about Jones’ job security.

But I think sticking with Jones is the smarter play. I think he’ll look like a much better player under O’Brien — a real, legitimate OC who has a solid track record of developing quarterbacks and running successful offenses — than he did with the in-over-their-heads Patricia and Judge calling the shots. The Patriots also are paying Jones a fraction of what it would cost to bring in any of the starting-caliber veterans who will be available this offseason.

Give Jones one more year to prove himself in a much more stable environment. If he can’t hack it in an O’Brien-led offense, then the Patriots will know he’s not the guy and can proceed accordingly.

@Ashley1992__
Hi Zack, would you be ok if the Pats double dip at OT in the draft in the first two rounds?
I think going tackle-tackle in the first two rounds would be a bit much. But I definitely think the Patriots should draft one early, and grabbing another in the later rounds wouldn’t hurt, either. New England currently has just two offensive tackles under contract for the upcoming season (Trent Brown and Andrew Stueber), so I’m expecting a significant overhaul here.

My strategy, as I’ve written before, would be to add one experienced starter through veteran free agency or a trade and use a high pick on a tackle who could either start right away or replace Brown in 2024. I’d do what I can to land one of the top prospects (Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski, Ohio State’s Paris Johnson and Georgia’s Broderick Jones) in Round 1, with Jones currently looking like the best bet to fall to No. 14. If all three are off the board, address another need with that top pick and then snag a second- or third-tier tackle on Day 2.

Offensive tackle isn’t the only weakness on the Patriots’ roster, but it’s by far the most glaring.

@btflee0608
If 2023 team is 2021 offense (ranking wise) + 2022 defense + Matthew Stafford like trajectory for Mac, would you feel very positive about it? Is it already best case scenario?
You pretzeled my brain a bit with that question. But yes.

I think O’Brien can get Jones and the offense back to at least the level they were at in 2021. As long as the Patriots make the necessary moves to shore up their O-line and their defense doesn’t regress substantially, that should be enough to turn the Patriots back into a playoff team in 2023. If Jones makes the type of Year 3 leap that many were expecting from him in Year 2, they could even challenge some of the AFC’s elite.

Maybe that’s an overly optimistic view, but I really don’t think this team is that far away. We’ll see how they approach these next few months.