![]() ![]() The Pats are paying him like he’ll at least play to the level of swing tackle, a job that could also go to Anderson or McDermott. Reiff’s last two teams, the Bears and Bengals, were in dire need of offensive line help and let him go anyway, indicating there isn’t much left in the tank. Expect them to address this need high in the draft. Trent Brown, Riley Reiff, Calvin Anderson, Conor McDermott, Yodny Cajuste*, Andrew Stueberĭespite adding Reiff and Anderson in free agency, the Patriots are still without a clear-cut starter opposite Trent Brown. Sokol and Washington are practice-squad-caliber players. Henry endured the worst season of his career last year and should rebound under a reshuffled coaching staff in 2023. Because of his blocking deficiencies, Gesicki is better regarded as a big slot receiver and will be deployed as such. Hunter Henry, Mike Gesicki, Matt Sokol, Scotty WashingtonĪnalysis: In another swap, in trading out Jonnu Smith for Gesicki, the Pats upgraded their pass-catching potential here but did nothing to address their subpar run-blocking. Look for the Pats to add another wideout in the draft. Thornton’s future feels murky after a disappointing rookie year. Assuming his playing time increases and stabilizes, Bourne is a prime bounce-back candidate, and Parker’s role as a deep-ball, contested-catch specialist is as clearly defined as any in this offense. 1 receiver, but at the very least Smith-Schuster introduces a new dynamic for this group as someone who can create yards on his own. He has yet to prove he can thrive as a No. JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, Tyquan Thornton, Tre Nixon, Lynn Bowden Jr.Īnalysis: The decision to sign Smith-Schuster in free agency instead of retain Jakobi Meyers came down to Smith-Schuster’s yards-after-catch ability. Guregian: Patriots OC Bill O’Brien hopes to purge last year from the system If Stevenson stays healthy, he could build on his numbers in 2022, when he led the Pats in catches and became the team’s first 1,000-yard back since 2016. He’s only 24 and recorded a 2,000-yard season less than three years ago. TaylorĪnalysis: Stevenson is the clear-cut starter here followed by Robinson and one of the 2022 draft picks, Strong or Harris, provided they can leap over Montgomery. Rhamondre Stevenson, James Robinson, Ty Montgomery, Pierre Strong, Kevin Harris, J.J. His expected Year 2 leap may ultimately just come a season later than expected. Now that Jones has again been paired with an experienced offensive play-caller and quarterbacks coach in Bill O’Brien, it should be all systems go. QuarterbackĪnalysis: Bill Belichick hasn’t committed to Jones as his long-term starter for six months, but it’s still difficult to see Zappe, a less experienced passer with lesser tools who functioned within a simplified system against lesser opponents last year, overtake him. Until then, here’s a position-by-position look at where the Pats stand after working to improve their roster the last two-plus months. ![]()
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