Tag: Patriots offseason

Reading the room: Evaluating tight ends on Patriots’ roster

It’ll be the Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki Show at tight end, but others could contribute at the position for the Patriots.

The New England Patriots have always loved their tight ends, and they doubled down at the position in 2021 by signing Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith at the same time.

Fast forward to 2023, and Smith is in Atlanta, while the Patriots brought in Mike Gesicki as a replacement.

Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien pioneered 12 personnel for the Patriots in his first stint with the team. He brought in Will Lawing, who has followed him in his previous stints, to coach the tight end position. There’s hope the two can work together to create a new gold standard at the position.

For now, here’s what things look like for the Patriots’ 2023 tight end group:

Bigger role for Rhamondre Stevenson could awaken Patriots’ offense

Rhamondre Steven has the potential to unlock everything for the Patriots offensively in 2023.

When the New England Patriots selected running back Rhamondre Stevenson in the 2021 NFL draft, they had hopes he would complement Damien Harris to form a solid one-two punch.

After injuries derailed the end of Harris’ career in New England, Stevenson quickly took over as the workhorse and broke out in 2022.

Stevenson rushed for 606 yards in 2021 and 1,040 yards in 2022. He added 69 catches in 2022, showcasing his ability to get open in space and be a reliable chain-mover. His emergence made it abundantly clear that Harris’ time was over in a Patriots uniform, especially as they drafted two running backs in the 2022 NFL draft in Pierre Strong Jr. and Kevin Harris.

Strong Jr. and Harris might not replace Damien’s production at his peak, but their skill sets will allow the Patriots to replicate it for cheap. Stevenson, however, has the makings to be a star, and with Bill O’Brien running the offense, there may be writing on the wall for him to have an even bigger role.

At Alabama, O’Brien’s offense utilized a running back with similar skill sets in Jahmyr Gibbs. Gibbs is a fantastic runner first, but he was also the nation’s best receiving back in 2022. He was so good that opposing defenses treated him like a premier receiver. O’Brien moved Gibbs all around the formation—out of the backfield, in bunch sets, in the slot and in motion.

Stevenson isn’t as polished of a route runner as Gibbs, but he has the ability to be used in a similar fashion, and in tandem with backup running back James Robinson.

Having both runners with the tools to thrive as pass catchers will allow O’Brien to use both and confuse defenses. Gone are the days of Sony Michel in the backfield, which typically meant it was a run play almost 100 percent of the time. Stevenson and Robinson will allow O’Brien to also scheme up matchups, allowing there to be room over the middle for experienced YAC receivers like Juju Smith-Schuster and Kendrick Bourne.

Space clearing was a major issue in 2022, and using Stevenson in a much larger, focal point of the offense in 2023, will alleviate this. Many may be worried with usage, but his skill set will unlock the rest of the offense, especially for Mike Gesicki and Hunter Henry, who should have plenty of room up the seam.

Stevenson will likely touch the ball 300-plus times in 2023, but it ultimately will be worth it for O’Brien and Mac Jones, who should thrive in a hybrid of the west coast offense and Alabama’s offense.

This offseason has provided a glimpse into the plan, as O’Brien and the Patriots reshaped the offense playing into Jones’ three best attributes: accuracy, decision-making and processing speed. He will thrive in an offense with dynamic playmakers like Stevenson, Smith-Schuster and Bourne, who are all dangerous with the ball in their hands. They also added Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte, who share similar attributes that will complement.

If the Patriots wish to have any sort of success in 2023, they need a matchup nightmare, and right now, Stevenson, is the only player that teams gameplan for on offense. So why not unlock the entire offense by dictating coverages and creating mismatches, while an improved offensive line allows Jones to thrive as a “point guard” in this potentially explosive offense?

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What does the Patriots’ 2023 offseason signify for Mac Jones?

Have the moves made by the Patriots so far demonstrated faith in Mac Jones?

With the New England Patriots needing a ton of improvement on offense after an abysmal 2022 performance, they started the offseason by upgrading the offensive staff with Bill O’Brien at coordinator, Adrian Klemm at offensive line coach and Will Lawing as tight ends coach.

The Patriots made it clear they wanted to see improvements, along with making an unspoken admittance they didn’t do right by Mac Jones in 2022 with experimenting on offense.

Fast forward to the offseason as a whole, and the Patriots added tackle depth, replaced Jakobi Meyers with Juju Smith-Schuster, added James Robinson and Mike Gesicki and had a very good draft that addressed some key areas across the team.

One thing is unclear for a lot of Patriot fans: Is this signifying faith or a lack of faith in Jones?

The answer for me is that they have faith in Jones.

They improved the offensive line and took real capital to do so by adding veteran tackles and three early Day 3 picks on interior offensive linemen. I mentioned in another article that Cole Strange could move to tackle, but regardless, the Patriots realistically have seven starters on the roster right now. They should see an improved product with an actual offensive line coach in Klemm.

The Patriots got more explosive on offense with Smith-Schuster, who is an upgrade over Meyers. They added James Robinson, who is an upgrade over Damien Harris, when healthy due to his higher pass-catching upside. They added Mike Gesicki, who is a slot/tight end hybrid that will be an immediate upgrade over Jonnu Smith.

They also added a shifty playmaking slot receiver in rookie sixth-round pick Demario Douglas and a first-round talent in Kayshon Boutte in the draft to come in and compete with 2022 second-round pick Tyquan Thornton.

The Patriots added competition at every level of the roster, which in turn is a significant level of endorsement for Jones. Bill Belichick has never been outspoken, but he is giving Jones the tools for Year 3 in his way.

These things will take time to work out, but last year, the Patriots seemingly stayed put on offense without making many additions across the board. Fans wanted more for Jones’ development, most notably a real offensive coordinator.

The Patriots seemingly accepted their mistakes and are working to improve for 2023 by adding good football players that fit their offense and scheme across the board. This training camp will be huge, as there are a ton of mainstays that I could see Belichick moving on from, if they’re the wrong fit for the new-look offense. I truly think O’Brien will have a say in those decisions come cut down time.

Although they went defense in the first three rounds, they did it to continue their defensive pipeline in a loaded AFC and to keep up while the offense gets up to speed. With Bill O’Brien, a new-look offensive line, and some new weapons for Jones, there is a chance that the Patriots will prove a lot of people wrong record-wise.

Their defense, special teams and offense are all better, and as much as offense is a priority over the others, they managed to improve all over the board.

If the Patriots didn’t believe in Jones, they would have traded up for a new quarterback and moved on from him. Right now would have been the time to do so. If they didn’t believe in him, they would have aggressively approached Lamar Jackson or Aaron Rodgers prior to their new teams.

The Patriots will surprise a lot of teams, and the keys are in Jones’ hands for a bounce-back 2023 season.

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3 potential Patriots trade packages for All-Pro WR DeAndre Hopkins

Here are three possible trade packages the Patriots could offer up for DeAndre Hopkins

The New England Patriots have spent much of the 2023 offseason filling glaring holes on offense and retaining key members of an above average defense.

Sure, the Patriots signing Juju Smith-Schuster, James Robinson, and Mike Gesicki helps form an upgraded pass-catching group from last year on paper, but the team has still failed to address the elephant in the room.

They desperately need a true wide receiver No. 1. The offense currently is much better as constructed, but it would likely still only be in the middle of the league with offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien and the new weapons.

The Patriots need someone that can dictate coverages, be the topic of opponents’ gameplans, and take the burden off the rest of the unit. Getting a true No. 1 receiver unlocks the rest of the offense and will get the most production out of each offensive skill position.

DeAndre Hopkins is that guy.

He’s an elite No. 1 wide receiver that Belichick adores, and fortunately for the Patriots, he’s actually available on the trade market. With Brandin Cooks being shipped off to the Dallas Cowboys and the high asking price for Denver Broncos receiver Jerry Jeudy, the Patriots could pivot to the better of the three in Hopkins.

Let’s take a look at some trade packages that could see the Patriots adding the elite playmaking receiver.