Patriots’ Offseason Plan Failed; How Can They Right Ship?

The Patriots had a plan entering the offseason, but after just seven weeks it’s already safe to say that plan failed… miserably.

New England has been transparent regarding its preference to draft and develop talent, which is totally understandable. It’s a proven method of not only building a winner but sustaining long-term success. Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf, and head coach Jerod Mayo both have first-hand experience doing that in previous roles — and the Super Bowl rings to prove it.

It’s just not something you’re able to do without supplementing the rest of the roster, specifically at positions (offensive line, wide receiver, linebacker) where depth is so valuable. The Patriots need to find ways to course-correct their methods, specifically at those positions.

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Wolf and Mayo’s approach to building the offensive line never really made sense from the start, as they focused on adding youth to a unit that needed experience. David Andrews, Mike Onwenu and Sidy Sow were the “sure things” entering the season, with there being some hope that rookies Layden Robinson and Caedan Wallace could find ways to slide in and contribute early. New England’s backup plans came in the form of a career swing tackle (Chukwuma Okorafor), the guy they were trying to replace (Vederian Lowe) and a journeyman (Michael Jordan).

How’d that work out?

Andrews and Wallace got hurt. Okorafor left the team. Sow, Robinson, Lowe and Jordan can’t stay in the lineup. Nick Leverett, their top depth player on the interior, was so bad they outright released him and brought someone in from outside the organization to be the starting center.

So… poorly.

The Patriots likely could have avoided the trouble they eventually faced if they had just signed any of the veteran free agents who were available. The New York Jets went out and did just that, inking Tyron Smith to an incentive-laden deal in addition to selecting offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. The Arizona Cardinals essentially did the same thing, signing Jonah Williams to a modest deal just one season after taking Paris Johnson Jr. in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The Patriots had more than enough money to make an offer to those veteran options, but they didn’t. If you mix that approach with some truly horrendous luck, you end up with 11 different offensive line groupings in seven weeks — with 12 different players getting snaps.

New England could have an opportunity to pivot, however with former Cardinals left tackle D.J. Humphries beginning to visit teams in hopes of making a return from his season-ending knee injury in 2023. Is it a perfect option? No, but waiting for something perfect to fall into your lap is an idiotic way of doing business.

It’s a little bit harder to blame Mayo and Wolf for the problems at wide receiver and linebacker because the process made sense.

New England took a bit of a risk by selecting Ja’Lynn Polk in the second round, but grabbing two high-upside options in the draft was a smart way of doing business. Kendrick Bourne being kept around is looking more and more like a smart move because he’s the only wideout in the room who hasn’t taken public issue with his current role. The Patriots don’t need to make any major changes to help that group get back on the right track, as the addition of Drake Maye to the starting lineup has already paid off for some.

Mayo just needs to take control of the social media crap, though and likely learned a thing or two from his former boss in terms of having players tone it down.

Wolf can help fix the problems defensively, as well. Ja’Whaun Bentley’s injury has been cataclysmic, but there are free agent options (Devin White, Anthony Barr, Andre Smith) who can be brought in and should at the very least provide upgrades over the likes of Christian Elliss and Raekwon McMillan. The Denver Broncos brought two proven veterans in Zach Cunningham and Kwon Alexander to the practice squad a month ago, so they’ve been working out and can be poached.

It’s not all about developing young talent, sometimes you just need to stay afloat.

The Patriots aren’t going to turn the season around and become a playoff contender, but they need to make some changes because the ship is sinking.