Under-The-Radar Patriots Assistant Should Be First Coach Fired

It’s unknown whether or not Jerod Mayo will return for another season with the Patriots, but there’s no doubt wholesale changes are coming to One Patriot Place.

There’s an argument to be made the entire staff should be cleared out. At the very least some four or five coaches could be shown the door on NFL’s “Black Monday.” Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington, Mayo, among others, all have come under fire for failing at their respective duties. It’s why everything is on the table in New England.

But one specific under-the-radar assistant, who has proven to be in over his head all year long, should be the first coach to go. That’s none other than Patriots wide receivers coach Tyler Hughes.

Hughes was responsible for arguably the most underwhelming position group on the team — and that’s saying something. It was a group without a No. 1 wideout, but still had some level of depth and talent. Put it this way: It wasn’t made up of waiver-wire adds like the offensive line.

The level of dysfunction in the receiver room had people around the league taking notice.

“I think part of it’s probably having a position coach who’s as inexperienced as (Hughes) is,” Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer said on NBC Sports Boston in November. “It’s not a good situation.”

At the time, Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard referred to the receiver group as a “volatile mix.”

It didn’t get any better during the final two months of the season either.

The lack of development by second-round rookie Ja’Lynn Polk and fourth-rounder Javon Baker was glaring. Polk, who saw a noticeable decline in playing time since Week 7, hasn’t caught a pass in four games. He has two catches for nine yards (!) in that timeframe. Meanwhile, Baker hasn’t caught a single pass all season. He hasn’t played more than 11 offensive snaps in a single game with a number of healthy scratches on gameday.

It wasn’t just the rookies, though.

Patriots receiver Kendrick Bourne will finish with less catches and yards in 2024 than in 2023, despite playing more games and those games coming with Drake Maye throwing him the ball rather than Mac Jones. If Bourne was the lone example, sure, there could be an argument about recovering from injury, but he wasn’t.

DeMario Douglas, who entered his second season with high expectations given his chain-moving skillset, should conclude with 60-plus catches and 600-plus yards. But he’ll still finish behind tight end Hunter Henry in yards, not exactly the kind of production you want from your leading wideout. In fact, Henry and fellow tight end Austin Hooper rank first and fourth in receiving yards on the team.

Veteran K.J. Osborn never materialized into anything with the Patriots before he was released. Kayshon Boutte called out coaches with his postgame comments, too.

It’s fair to put some of the lack of receiver production on the woeful offensive line. Maye didn’t have a ton of time behind center. And it’s not as if Hughes is or should be held responsible for everything that goes wrong on that side of the ball. Van Pelt should catch more flack for that. But Van Pelt did develop the rookie he was most responsible for, unlike Hughes.

The reality is the inexperienced Hughes did nothing to solidify his standing with the Patriots. So with the Patriots set to undergo some major changes on the coaching staff, Hughes should be one of the first to go.