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With the NFL offseason officially underway, the New England Patriots plan to get the AFC East back as soon as possible. They finished the 2020 season with a 7-9 record, giving the franchise the first losing season since 2000.
Bill Belichick has his hands full in his attempts to regain control of the division he had dominated for two decades. To do this, this franchise will have to focus most of its attention on the offensive side of the ball.
With the defense poised to regain its form with returns from Dont’a Hightower and Patrick Chung, New England has the luxury of picking up young talent to improve the offense. The Patriots have the 15th overall pick in the upcoming draft.
The New England offense was less than spectacular last season after signing a one-year contract with Cam Newton to replace Tom Brady. Newton played well to begin with, but after contracting COVID-19 his game fell. Newton finished with 2,657 passing yards and just eight passing touchdowns.
Even with a decent offensive line, Newton couldn’t get the ball to an exhausted receiving core. Jakobi Meyers appeared to increase, however, finishing with 729 receiving yards and a 72.8% catch percentage. He appeared to be the Patriots’ most reliable target last year with Julian Edleman out for most of the season.
That said, the Patriots will be looking to modernize in two areas: QB and WR.
Cam Newton isn’t returning, and it doesn’t look like the franchise is counting on Jarrett Stidham anytime soon. Plus, having Meyers as the first wide receiver isn’t the best situation either. He has the potential to be a high-end slots receiver, which means New England will likely be looking for a talented receiver to improve on that position.
Patriots must find a QB franchise
The quarterback situation in New England is lackluster at the moment. The Patriots don’t seem to have much faith in Jarrett Stidham. It’s possible this franchise is looking for a new free agency or draft quarterback.
In free agency, there is one quarterback who stands out among the rest who might be willing to sign a one-year contract with New England. The front office should strongly consider signing 16-year-old veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick this offseason. He played nine games last season, trading with Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback. Fitzpatrick finished with 2,091 passing yards and 13 touchdowns.
He would be a good quarterback until the Patriots can find the right guy for the job long term. For Fitzpatrick, this may be the best place for him if he’s looking for some legitimate playing time next year.
Another avenue for the Patriots would be the draft. They currently have the 15th selection, which means they may be just outside the drafting of one of the draft’s top four prospects. If New England is looking to draft a quarterback, they may need to trade to get the guy they want, or trade for other picks and draft a prospect later.
Two options the Patriots should consider are Trey Lance and Jamie Newman. Lance is considered one of the top prospects and should be drafted into the Top 15. On the flip side, Newman is a raw talent who should be drafted much later. Either way, both prospects have the potential to become NFL starters, but that just depends on what the front office wants to do in the draft.
Upgrade WR group
As for large receivers, it may be more difficult to find immediate help. While there are a number of great free agent options out there (Allen Robinson, Chris Godwin, and JuJu Smith-Schuster, to name a few), would any of these big names want to join a team with such a big question mark in the quarterback?
Still, the Patriots might be able to pick up some cheap free agency options this year. Demarcus Robinson is unlikely to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs again, and he could be someone this franchise is targeting this offseason. He’s not the best guy available, but he’s proven to be a decent receiver for the Chiefs.
At the end of the day, New England should consider taking a wide receiver in the draft. The two candidates who stand out the most are Rashod Bateman and Elijah Moore. In order for the Patriots to take Bateman, they’ll likely have to use their 15th pick to acquire him. As for Moore, it looks like he is screened as a late second-round selection early in the third round.
Either way, New England could walk away with a solid wide receiver prospect.
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