Why the NFL doesn’t have to worry about the Patriots anytime soon

Henry McKenna

AFC East Reporter

Bill Belichick never wanted the New England Patriots to look like this.

The former coach and owner Robert Kraft always seemed to have a coaching succession plan, from Josh McDaniels to Jerod Mayo. The Patriots even seemed to try to have a succession plan in place for Tom Brady at quarterback, from Matt Cassel to Kevin O’Connell to Ryan Mallett to Jimmy Garoppolo to Jacoby Brissett to Jarrett Stidham.

It was clear that Belichick never wanted the Patriots to find the NFL’s basement — which the organization is no stranger to. It’s easy to forget, but New England’s history wasn’t pretty prior to the arrival of Belichick and Brady.

The organization’s current state isn’t a thing of beauty either.

At a time when quarterbacks and receivers are the most influential and best-paid players in the NFL, New England has no certainty at either position.

They’re absolutely making a big effort to shore up the quarterback spot. This offseason, the team signed the always-competent Brissett and drafted Drake Maye at third overall in an effort to reboot their quarterback room from the Mac Jones era. It’s possible — given the state of the offensive line and the receiver position — that Maye won’t start until 2025. But offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt has just the offense for Maye, based on a heavy run game and a vertical passing attack out of play-action. It’s clear New England has a plan to develop Maye into a scheme that’s tailor-made to fit his skills.

And for what it’s worth, the Patriots are also making a big effort to shore up the receiver spot. This year, they drafted Ja’Lynn Polk in Round 2 and Javon Baker in Round 4. New England retained Kendrick Bourne, who was one of their top options despite a lot of wrong-place, wrong-time (with ending up in the coach’s doghouse and an injury). 

The problem, though, is that the Patriots have also gone after three top-tier receivers in the past two…

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Publish date : 2024-08-08 12:47:45

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