The New England Patriots had a good summer, but they didn’t make all the moves we thought they should have. I think it’s more likely than not that the Patriots won’t make the playoffs this summer, but they did take care of their most important needs.
They hired a real offensive coach, added a player who could be a CB1, and added more pass catchers. It doesn’t look like they could have done much more, does it? Well, I think that both of these things could be true.
There are a few changes we would have liked to see them make this off-season, and we’ll list them there, but overall, there isn’t much to dislike about their 2023 off-season.
Drafted a receiver higher
Kayshon Boutte, a late-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, might surprise us, and JuJu Smith-Schuster was a good addition, but I think it would have been smarter wager to gamble on as per bet on nfl games online to pick up a receiver earlier in the draft.
The WR cupboard looks pretty empty after the 2023 season. Most likely, Kendrick Bourne and DeVante Parker won’t be here next year, and we don’t know what will happen with Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutte, and Demario Douglas.
If there had been another receiver in the room who was taken higher in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Patriots would have had another chance to find a good player at this position.
Done more at tackle
I think this is a decision that most of us can support. Why did the team only hire Calvin Anderson and Riley Reiff? Why did they take three offensive guards in the middle but not a tackle? I think the Pats could have done more here.
The team could have hired Mike McGlinchey, Kaleb McGary, or Jawaan Taylor, but I guess they didn’t want to spend that much. Even though there weren’t many good left tackles available as free agents, New England had a lot of chances to pick up a tackle in the 2023 NFL Draft but didn’t.
I hope the tackled problem doesn’t come back to bite them again. Reiff was a good deal. I think he’s about average, and I think it would have looked much better if they had brought in both Reiff and a young tackle from the draft.
Pursued a QuarterBack in the 2023 NFL Draft
This one might make a lot of people angry, but I don’t care. At this point, I don’t believe in Mac Jones. I don’t think he will be the New England Patriots star quarterback. As I’ve said before, I think his best is Kirk Cousins, and I don’t think anyone can win a Super Bowl with that.
The Patriots should have seen that Jones wasn’t the answer and found a QB they liked in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Patriots could have taken men like Will Levis and Hendon Hooker in the draft, but they didn’t.
Since the AFC seems to get better every year, the Patriots’ biggest problem right now is that they don’t have a QB. I hope that Mac Jones’s flaws or low ceiling can be hidden by the people around him, but I’m not hopeful.
