Can Bill O’Brien extract the most out of Mac Jones and Co.?
Coming off a season in which they ranked 20th in passing yardage (208.0 per game) and tied for 19th in passing TDs (19) as part of the 26th-ranked offense, the New England Patriots made moves designed to reinvigorate that side of the ball. On the field, they signed JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mike Gesicki, essentially replacing Jakobi Meyers and Jonnu Smith, and off the field they hired Bill O’Brien to serve as offensive coordinator after using Matt Patricia as the de facto OC in 2022.
Of course, all those moves might be akin to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic if the Pats can’t get better play out of the quarterback position. Mac Jones regressed last year following an encouraging rookie campaign, and the former first-round pick could face a challenge from Bailey Zappe, who won both of his starts last year when Jones was laid up with an ankle injury. Jones should have the edge, though the team reportedly shopped him before the draft, so we’ll see how it shakes out.
Whether it’s Jones or Zappe, look for a more cohesive, diverse offensive approach from O’Brien, who spent the past two years directing Alabama’s offense following a largely successful seven-year run as the Houston Texans’ head coach. He was the New England OC in 2011 when Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski enjoyed phenomenal success. The question we’ll look to address here, though, is what it will mean for New England’s receivers.
