New England Patriots: 3 key offensive newcomers who must excel

Here are three key new players on offense who must excel if the New England Patriots are to again contend for the AFC East title in 2020.

The New England Patriots need three key new players on offense to perform well if they are to have any chance of winning the 2020 AFC East title. The usual suspects are not being talked about here.

Players like Julian Edelman, David Andrews, Joe Thuney, and Shaq Mason are hopefully givens. If not, the Patriots are already sunk.

But it’s three key new players who have to perform to the utmost if the 2020 season is to in any way resemble the seasons of the previous 20 years.

The third most important necessary new offensive contributor is rookie tight end from UCLA, Devin Asiasi.

Asiasi was a Patriots’ third-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft. That’s a premium pick and the highest on a tight end since one Rob Gronkowski was selected in the second round a decade ago in 2010. No one is expecting anything like Gronkowski’s production from Asiasi.

But that doesn’t mean that getting superior performance wouldn’t be appreciated. A solid season of 30-40 catches would be a superlative contribution from the rookie. It’s a lot to ask, but that’s what New England expects from its players. They expect excellence not just play.

Asiasi caught 44 passes last season at UCLA in a breakout season. New England invested big in him, trading up in the third round to secure his services. For a change, it would be nice for a receiver to actually produce after being drafted by New England.

Edelman might be the last to have done that over a decade ago. Asiasi’s producing for New England would be a tremendous asset. Absent major injury, Edelman is a rock at one wide receiver spot.

A healthy Mohamed Sanu is hopefully going to contribute what he did before his untimely injury on an ill-advised punt return last season. Add to that a productive tight end and New England’s passing game headed by Cam Newton could be a surprise.