The Patriots offense is expected to see mass improvement in 2023.
Well, that’s what fans in New England are hoping for, anyway.
Bill Belichick and company had a clear plan in the offseason, find a way to improve all aspects of an offense that went from above-average to a near-dumpster fire in 2022-23. The Patriots made a litany of offseason personnel and coaching additions that are expected to improve the ceiling of the unit and its incumbent players.
New England hired Bill O’Brien to run the offense and brought in Adrian Klemm and Will Lawing alongside him to completely revamp the offensive coaching staff after Matt Patricia and Joe Judge led the disastrous unit last season. It also added the likes of JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mike Gesicki, James Robinson, Riley Reiff and Calvin Anderson to freshen up the faces around Mac Jones.
The prevailing thought is that all of these moves were made to aid Jones in what is increasingly feeling like a make-or-break season. Devin McCourty thinks there are other people who could, and should, thrive on the new unit, however.
Tyquan Thornton and Gesicki.
“With his speed and his ability to get down the field horizontally and vertically, I think he definitely has a chance,” McCourty said of Thornton’s ability to become a player opposing defenses have to plan for, per NBC Sports Boston. “I’m so interested to see what he looks like in this offense now compared to last year where it was really just, ‘Run straight down, let’s run a shot play here and there.’ “
And for Gesicki? Well, McCourty already knows he has the capability to cause mismatches as he essentially plays like a wide receiver.
“That’s how we saw him,” McCourty said. “Every time he checked into the game we would call personnel and we would put ‘light’ at the end of it. He’s a tight end but ‘light’ would remind us that it’s really a receiver.
“I think he’ll probably be their best mismatch when it comes to game plan and getting him matched up. He had a great year in 2021. A new offense comes in and doesn’t fit him (in 2022 and his numbers decline). I’m excited to see what he does in this offense.”
While neither Thornton or Gesicki are physically imposing, they provide something that is bound to scare the crap out of opposing defenses: Speed.
The Patriots offense lacked that element so much in 2022 that it literally pulled a defensive player over to provide a spark at different points throughout the season. Thornton had his ups and downs as a rookie, but with a full season of the playbook under his belt and Nelson Agholor gone, there should be an opportunity to graduate into a more permanent role on the offense. In Gesicki, the Patriots are getting a second tight end who will have an opportunity to contribute in that two-tight end offense that O’Brien made his name with in New England.
That is something that should have Patriots fans excited after a season full of disappointment.
