New England Patriots: 5 players better off without Tom Brady

Tom Brady has made a lot of players better during his New England Patriots career, but one former teammate sees his departure as a good thing.

Are the New England Patriots better off without Tom Brady?

In leading the team to six Super Bowl championships and two decades of winning, how could such a question be asked about a player who is one of the, if not the face of the Patriots dynasty.

To rephrase that question, are the Patriots better without 43-year-old Tom Brady?

Former teammate Christian Fauria, who predicted Brady’s departure, feels the team is absolutely better off with where the new Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback is at this point in his career.

During a broadcast of WEEI’s “Ordway, Merloni, and Fauria,” the former Patriots tight end didn’t doubt Brady’s skillset, but mainly his age and where he is at this point of his career.

Fauria highlighted that both the team and Brady were heading in two different directions and if the veteran quarterback remained, it would’ve stunted the growth of some of the team’s younger playmakers.

"“This offense is not going to be able to move forward with Brady as the quarterback, not because he sucks,” Fauria said, as transcribed by WEEI.  “Those throwaways were important.  It’s because he wasn’t willing to adapt.  There’s the difference.  He wasn’t willing to let N’Keal Harry grow.”"

In fairness, Harry wasn’t on the field enough to allow that trust to develop, but other younger playmakers were.  Although unproven, many felt due to his great resume of turning unknown players into solid contributors, Tom Brady would found a way.

But it was obvious the magic was gone.  What Brady needs in this point of his career is what the New England Patriots tried to give him in both Josh Gordon and Antonio Brown, and then in Mohamed Sanu.

He now has that and more down in Tampa Bay.

Where that leaves the Patriots’ offense?

Well, whether it is Jarrett Stidham or veteran Brian Hoyer (to start the season), the offense will look much different.  Perhaps, they were trending that way even with Brady under center.  Through the draft, free agency and players and being counted on to grow, here are 5 players actually better off without Tom Brady.

New England Patriots RB Damien Harris has a real shot to carry the load.

Even if Tom Brady was suiting up for the New England Patriots in 2020, second year running back Damien Harris was expected to see more reps in the offense.

Without Brady, the Patriots will lean on the running game even more.  Whether it is Jarrett Stidham, Brian Hoyer or someone else, Bill Belichick will go back to an offensive game plan that mimic the early part of the Patriots dynasty that leaned on a great defense and power running game.

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We actually saw that in the team’s march to Super Bowl glory just two seasons ago when the Patriots ran over opponents led by Sony Michel and Rex Burkhead.

With those two back, Harris will still have to compete for playing time, but with more of the focus being on the running game, the Alabama product should see more opportunity as a power back who has some explosiveness.

So, as long as he stays focused and ready, Damien Harris will be poised to make a difference, especially with what he learned during his rookie season despite not seeing any time on the field during the regular season.

"“The biggest thing for me last year was learning as much as I could,” Harris said in an interview with Patriots.com writer Paul Perillo.  “Everybody’s path is different.  I focused on learning as much as I could and learning from the older guys in the room.  There’s a lot of experience in that room.  Any opportunity to improve physically or mentally that was my mindset all year.”"

With an ability to also catch the ball out of the backfield, Damien Harris could prove to be a valuable outlet for whichever quarterback is under center.  If it was Tom Brady as this stage of his career, the New England Patriots would’ve been less focused on committing to the running game given Brady’s ability to change plays at the line of scrimmage.

Devin Asiasi will have a better rookie season for the New England Patriots.

We all know Tom Brady loves his tight ends, but not all tights feared well in offenses led by the former New England Patriots quarterback.

Much of that was put on the player, but if Brady did trust you, he would focus on his more reliable targets.  That is why I believe Patriots third-round pick Devin Asiasi is a player better off without a veteran quarterback who may not look his way as much.

There is a flip side to that.  If Asiasi were to catch on to the New England Patriots offense quickly, his career would take off tremendously catching the ball from Tom Brady.

Most likely, he wouldn’t catch on as quick in a complicated offense led by the 43-year-old quarterback, so in a simpler offense, Devin Asiasi and the other young playmakers will have more of a chance to lean on their talent more.

While no one expects the type of rookie season Rob Gronkowski had, he does have the size and playmaking ability to be a factor in an offense led by Jarrett Stidham or whoever is under center.

As a big target, the ball will be thrown his way a lot more than if Brady was under center (at least at this stage of Brady’s career).

With fellow rookie Dalton Keene and veteran tight ends Matt LaCosse and Ryan Izzo also competing for more of an opportunity at the tight end position, the stage is really set for a talent like Devin Asiasi to have a solid rookie season once he finds his niche in the offense.

That niche would probably come later rather than sooner with Tom Brady as the New England Patriots quarterback going into the 2020 NFL season.

New England Patriots will find out more about Jakobi Meyers.

The feel-good story of last preseason was undrafted rookie free agent Jakobi Meyers.

The NC State product looked to be a hidden gem after he formed a rapport with Jarrett Stidham during the preseason.

That rapport didn’t translate into the regular season with Tom Brady.  Meyers had a few nice catches, but it was obvious he wasn’t Brady’s most reliable target.

In playing 36 percent of the offensive snaps, Jakobi Meyers was the most productive rookie with 26 receptions for 359 yards.  Not bad for the third or fourth option, but the New England Patriots need more from him in 2020 with the lack of receiver talent the team has.

With the chemistry he has with Stidham, the second-year receiver should have more of a chance to produce and build off his rookie season.  Understanding the offense a lot more, along with the experience of playing in an offense led by Tom Brady should help him even more with Brady not there…at least within his mental confidence.

"“Mentally, I want to be levels ahead of where I was last year,” Meyers told Paul Perillo in an interview with Patriots.com. “Understanding not only what we’re doing but also why we’re doing it.  Earning trust to make the right play.  I want to build on last year.  It was a nice stepping stone, but I want to keep building and growing.”"

Despite the lack of receiving talent, Jakobi Meyers is not a lock to make the 2020 New England Patriots roster, but he does have a foot up on veteran newcomers like Marquise Lee and the undrafted rookie free agents coming in this year hoping to be what Meyers was last year.

In showcasing what he is capable of, it really comes down to gaining that trust.  It will be a lot easier without a 43-year-old Tom Brady, who no longer has the patience in helping unproven young talent grow.

New England Patriots may have found value in Marqise Lee.

The New England Patriots did not trade for a top wide receiver or even draft one in the 2020 NFL Draft as all the rumors suggested.

Instead, what they did was take a chance with veteran receiver like Marqise Lee who was hampered by injuries the last two season while with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

One of those low-risk, high-reward type signings, the Patriots could have something in Lee if he is fully healthy and back to the player he was in 2017 when he caught 56 passes for 702 yards and three touchdowns.

In theory, Marqise Lee is exactly the kind of receiver who would flourish catching the ball from Tom Brady.  He is a possession type receiver who is just 28 years old.

But, unlike players like Brandon LaFell and Brandon Lloyd, who have come in and had good seasons with the Patriots, Lee probably wouldn’t have time to build a rapport and chemistry with Tom Brady.

With the offense expected to be less complicated, Lee is the type of veteran who can come in and be a reliable target for Jarrett Stidham or whoever the starting quarterback shall be come Week 1 of 2020.

Again, not to discredit Tom Brady and his ability to connect with receivers, but Marqise Lee has the tools to form a pretty nice quartet of targets.  Along with Julian Edelman, Mohamed Sanu and N’Keal Harry, the New England Patriots offense may not be as dismal as people think, especially if all are healthy.

New England Patriots 2019 first-round pick N’Keal Harry has something to prove.

It wasn’t the rookie season many expected out of 2019 first-round draft pick N’Keal Harry, but it was certainly a learning experience for the 6-foot-4 talent.

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Sidelined half the season with a hamstring injury, Harry never really got an opportunity to build any chemistry with Tom Brady.  That doesn’t mean the future Hall-of-Fame quarterback didn’t try to connect with the Arizona State product.

With just 12 receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns in seven game played, there are still some fashioning N’Keal Harry as a bust despite his limited time on the field.  But there were still some very nice moments and glimpses of what he can be in the Patriots offense.

We all remember the touchdown that was called back against the Kansas City Chiefs.  Harry demonstrated both strength and balance in tiptoeing the sidelines for a should’ve been touchdown.  There were also instances like his first game against the Dallas Cowboys where he went up and over defenders for catches.

Earlier in his career, the type of receiver Harry is would’ve been beneficial to Tom Brady.  He probably would’ve had a better second season with Brady, but with a quarterback like Jarrett Stidham there will be more opportunities to make the type of plays he made at Arizona State.

Harry’s former college coach, Herm Edwards, feels the tall, talented receiver is poised to breakout in his second season.

"“Knowing N’Keal, he has gained some confidence with the experience that he had,” Edwards said back in May, via USA Today.  “I think he’ll enjoy (the increased pressure).  He kind of loves that.  That’s the competitiveness in him.  He enjoys that part of it – when it’s hard.  He likes hard.  He knows right now he has a window to grow up with this quarterback that they have (in Jarrett Stidham), because the quarterback doesn’t have a lot of experience either.”"

In summary, a more watered-down offensive playbook should benefit a talent like N’Keal Harry tremendously.

Along with having something to prove to the doubter, the Arizona State product will prove Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots made the right choice in selecting him with the 30th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.