New England Patriots: Success will be found through youth
By Max Bozicas
The New England Patriots are going to need positive contributions from their first and second year players in order to be competitive this season.
The New England Patriots are going to be a very interesting team in 2020. On paper, they are not the most dangerous looking team.
Cam Newton seems to be the favorite to become the starter, but we can’t operate under the assumption that we are getting the same Cam Newton that won an MVP award five seasons ago.
The Patriots have an uphill battle to climb to make the playoffs. Offensively, there are still plenty of question marks. Defensively, the team has lost two of their top players in Dont’a Hightower and Patrick Chung due to COVID-19 opt outs.
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A lot of these issues can be put to rest if the young talent this team has added within the last few
years takes a collective step forward. If they don’t, it will be a rough year.
On the offensive end, N’Keal Harry needs to provide more than he was able to in 2019. While Harry’s struggles weren’t entirely his fault, this year there are no excuses. If Harry doesn’t produce, odds are he’ll get slapped with the bust label.
The New England Patriots seemingly do not have much to work with at tight end. They are hoping to change that with Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene. The two were taken within 10 picks of each other in the third round and will have to make an impact right away. At least one of them must prove to be a reliable receiving option.
As previously mentioned, with Hightower and Chung gone there are big shoes to fill on the defensive side of the ball. Rookie safety Kyle Dugger has reportedly looked very good in training camp and is likely to see a ton of snaps with Chung gone. Hopefully his camp performance translates in real action.
Belichick with some rare praise for a rookie, saying second-round pick S Kyle Dugger shows improvement "not only from day-to-day, but in some cases from play-to-play" pic.twitter.com/OOsn7lyegk
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) August 24, 2020
Hightower is probably the most difficult player to replace, as he did so many different things. He could line up in the middle of the defense or on the edge and be disruptive either way. It will take more than one player to make up for his absence.
Chase Winovich, Josh Uche, and Anfernee Jennings are expected to pressure the passer off the edge, which will hopefully make things easier for J’Whaun Bentley, who will likely patrol the middle. As long as everyone does their job, they will make things easier for each other.
dark. Next. Sony Michel will be ready for Week 1
This season could go a long way in determining the future of the New England Patriots. If enough of these players prove to be capable of making an impact in the NFL, this team could be set up very well for the foreseeable future.