The New England Patriots need an overhaul on the offensive side of the football. Who stays and who goes?
Looking way up at the well-coached Division-leading Buffalo Bills and the emerging Miami Dolphins are the 6-9 New England Patriots.
The 2020 season is mercifully all-but-over for some, gleefully over for millions upon millions of others around the globe. The Tom Brady-less Patriots bit the dust in 2020 and proved those who thought the reason for success was Brady rather than Bill Belichick all along absolutely correct. It clearly was.
Even with a former MVP quarterback Cam Newton leading the offense, the coaching staff demonstrably showed that they were just a mediocre bunch without No. 12 at the helm.
The poor showing by the New England Patriots in 2020 leaves many questions as to how this down-in-the-dumpster team must reshape itself to arise from its current status as irrelevant, to again challenge in the AFC East, the AFC, and maybe someday for another Super Bowl title.
This series will explore who should go and who should stay on this poorly built team. There will be some surprises here. Changes are necessary, whether they will be carried out is another story. First up: the 2020 new England Patriots offense.
The offense was ineffective for most of the season and underperformed with Newton at the helm.
Misguided critics will scapegoat Newton who admittedly didn’t have his best of seasons yet that blame would be misplaced. Much more was wrong elsewhere with this offense that really resulted in Newton’s less than totally inspiring but better than perceived performance. Instead, it’s quite clear that his season was largely dictated by the team around him that was anything but top-grade.
Quite the opposite. Much of this commentary was cited during the season but it requires restating here in summation of all that went right (not much) and wrong with the New England Patriots offense in its first year of the post-Brady era.
The New England Patriots need a change at quarterback…or do they?
New England fandom was justifiably ecstatic when the Patriots rather surprisingly if not miraculously latched onto a still free-agent Cam Newton for pennies on the dollar prior to going to camp.
Euphoria reigned in many quarters (here included) as New England had somehow, someway landed probably the best possible option for a mere pittance. The right spot at the right time, so to speak. Nothing changes after the poor season to alter that opinion.
Newton was still the best option over an inexperienced Jarrett Stidham and career journeyman Brian Hoyer.
Newton was signed to start and he did just that. Now let’s look at the facts, not the perception of his performance as is fashionable.
More from Chowder and Champions
- 3 Patriots on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster Spots
- 3 Midseason Chaim Bloom Decisions That Have Killed the 2023 Red Sox
- 10 Patriots Who Will Be Cut by Tuesday’s Roster Deadline
- MLB Screws Red Sox Fans With Broadcast for Mookie Betts Return
- 3 Most Underpaid Celtics Heading Into the 2023 Season
Newton completed 65 percent of his passes in the 14 games in which he has played this far. He only threw 5 TD passes, however, and 10 interceptions. On its face, not the greatest of statistics. But that’s not the whole story. Newton’s completion percentage was more than 5 points higher than his career average.
Yes, five points higher at 65.4 percent. Interestingly, Tom Brady, with a 10-5 Tampa Bay team loaded with receiving talent completed 65.9 percent of his (just slightly above Newton’s), which is about 2 points higher than his lifetime completing percentage of 64 percent. Those statistics don’t lie.
Newton with what he had at his disposal had a far better comparative season than Brady with what he had. Not even close. Brady played with an offensive wagon load of star receivers. He had seven wide receivers with 33 or more catches through 15 games. Brady’s tight ends in 15 games have caught 81 passes.
Cam Newton in15 games had three receivers with 31 or more catches. And to put the cherry on top of the cake, Newton’s tight ends have caught 15 in 15 games. Those statistics speak for themselves.
Tom Brady has one of the league’s best receiver/tight end corps in the league. Newton has the worst. Newton also rushed for 513 yards and 12 touchdowns. That’s only 178 yards fewer than the teams’ leading rusher Damien Harris with 691.
No other New England Patriots runner scored more than three touchdowns. In sum, there was Newton and no one else in New England’s skill department this season, especially when the great Julian Edelman went down with an injury. He only played in six games with a meager 21 catches. Last season he hauled in an even 100.
Should the New England Patriots keep Cam Newton?
The decision on whether to keep Cam Newton on the 2021 Patriots team and beyond is not an easy one. On the negative side, he’ll be entering his year 32 season and has a lot of miles on his legs. But on the positive, there is a whole lot more.
Newton proved he can still be an effective leader of an offense and a team. He was a great teammate and was elected Captain right out of the box. He was a terrific person for this team, with a great team-first attitude. And Newton never complained or became surly as Brady did last season. He was just awesome. Period.
Everything about Newton’s participation was positive, except the result in the record. But that problem wasn’t due to Newton much at all. He did the best with what he had which wasn’t much at all. He put himself on the line to try to get this team to win. It was his supporting cast that was the issue. That responsibility lies squarely on the shoulders of the offseason personnel decision-making.
With Julian Edelman available and healthy, and better play-calling by Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels, this team might just have sneaked into the playoffs as bad as Newton’s supporting cast was. It says here, that if New England can sign Newton for a decent three-year deal, they should do it. No one available will be any better.
The other two quarterbacks mentioned did basically nothing in 2020 and both are expendable. Why keep three on the roster if only one will really play? Use that spot for a skilled player, if this team can even locate and sign one.
In addition, the team’s first or second-round pick has to be used on a quarterback like Trey Lance of North Dakota Stae or Kyle Trask of Florida, whether or not they keep Newton. They failed to draft one into the squad last season. Another gaffe.
It’s again an imperative to do so this offseason. But with the Patriots’ bizarre draft non-strategy, there may not be anyone in the entire draft’s top 10 quarterbacks who is even deemed worthy of selection by New England. A previous article explained that.
Examining the New England Patriots running backs depth chart
As noted above, New England’s most productive and best running back in 2020 was Damien Harris who led the backs with 691 yards in 10 games and a 5.0-yard average.
Those are decent statistics. Harris is an Alabama product who hardly saw the field in 2019 but got an opportunity in 2020 and took full advantage of it. He’s a downfield runner with some get-go and showed promise. If he can stay healthy, he can and should be part of New England’s rotational backfield next season.
But in sum, all Patriots’ running backs only had eight total rushing touchdowns. That’s four fewer than Newton, the team’s best runner who for much of the time was running for his life. That tells the story in a nutshell. New England’s backs just aren’t good enough.
More from New England Patriots
- 3 Patriots on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster Spots
- Former Patriot Stevan Ridley Put Kevin Hart in a Wheelchair
- 3 Patriots Who Can Clinch a Roster Spot in Final Preseason Game
- Patriots Get Win Over Division Rivals Before Season Even Begins
- New Massachusetts Sportsbook Promos: $450 Bonus to Bet on Your Patriots at Caesars + DraftKings
James White is an exception but he’s more of a receiving than running threat. Yet White had a down season himself with only 45 catches this year. White and Harris are two keepers. Harris if he can stay healthy is a solid rotational back. White entering his age 29 season is still an excellent receiver.
Sony Michel and Rex Burkhead are the two other rotational backs for New England. Michel looked OK when he was on the field but that’s not often enough. Burkhead is a gamer but he’s too often on the shelf, as well.
It’s time to cut ties with both. Both have had their moments, but not enough of them. They are too often out with injuries and Michel should be traded if possible, saving about $750,000 on the cap and Burkhead is a free agent. The team should also keep J.J. Taylor the undrafted free agent from Arizona on the team. He looked good when he played but played sparingly. Another head-scratcher among many by the New England coaching staff.
This is again the time to bang the drum about the Patriots getting a big back to replace the production that they received from Legarrette Blount in the past. His importance to the team and the importance generally of a big back has been highlighted previously.
It’s time to spend a draft pick or two, later on, to bring in a big back or two who can take up the short-yardage role to extend a drive or to plow ahead for a yard or two to score a touchdown. That role shouldn’t be left to the quarterback.
A free agent and a draft pick or two needs to be invested here on size. The hole here has been evident now for four years. It needs to finally be plugged this offseason.
White, Harris, and Taylor stay. Michel and Burkhead go.
Side note: Fullbacks.
New England has an emerging blocking fullback and maybe more in Jakob Johnson. He’s beginning to blossom as a lead blocker and may be able to catch a few passes. He should stay. T
he other possibility is Danny Vitale who opted out of the season due to coronavirus. This was a nice signing as Vitale is far better than his previous stats would dictate. Yet, cutting Vitale would save about $1.2M on the cap. He may be worth keeping around in camp to see if he delivers. It’s a toss-up here for him though, since the $1.2M could be invested elsewhere. A not so easy choice there.
Johnson stays, Vitale maybe stays.
The New England Patriots need receivers
This section will actually serve as an adjunct to Newton’s review since the players in this unit of the New England Patriots were intrinsic to how he ultimately performed.
This is the group that determined that Newton would have a down year passing the football. They just weren’t good enough. Their best player, a 100-catch performer in 2019 for Tom Brady was the inimitable Julian Edelman.
He is not only a virtually immediate Patriots’ Hall-of-Famer along with the signature red jacket, but Edelman should also be in line for the yellow suit jacket of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as well.
He’s been that good and that valuable to the New England Patriots for that long.
The Patriots not only missed his on-field performance, but also his leadership role in that unit. Unfortunately for the Patriots, injury caught up to the fiery Edelman early this season and reduced his effectiveness when he was actually on the field before sidelining him completely. That unfortunate set of events hamstrung Newton completely as he lost his best weapon, really his only legitimate NFL-capable wide receiver.
Absent a trade deadline move (there were none) to bolster this grouping, Newton and the Patriots’ hopes without him were sunk. Edelman should retire as a Patriot. If he does this offseason (or they cut or trade him), they’ll save about $3.5M on the cap.
Alternatively, he could head south to Tampa to team with Brady again. Here’s hoping that if he plays, he stays.
The major acquisition of the little productive offseason was Damiere Byrd.
Byrd wasn’t actually a household name when they acquired him yet actually acquitted himself reasonably well. But as they say in Foxborough, he is what he is. He’s a decent receiver who at times can do a nice job but he’s not going to set the NFL on fire on a weekly basis. His pedestrian statistics of 46 catches for 597 yards in 15 games with only one touchdown tell the story. Just OK.
He did have a great game against the Houston Texans however hauling in 6 passes for 132 yards. Too bad he couldn’t replicate that performance more often. Byrd is a third or fourth receiver and a free agent. It’s a toss-up if it’s worth resigning him.
Jakobi Meyers has had a breakout season of sorts. He has caught 53 for 661 yards in 13 games. Not a bad return for a second-year undrafted free agent.
Conversely, N’Keal Harry, a first-round pick continues to underachieve with only 31 catches to-date for 292 in 13 games. Harry has now underperformed with two former MVP quarterbacks trying to get him the ball. That doesn’t bode well for either his future with the club or New England’s continued abysmal drafting of early-round wide receivers.
All-in-all this group is nowhere near a top-level NFL receiving corps, quite the opposite. They are one of the league’s worst. They need a massive infusion of talent this offseason.
Edelman stays (if he wants), Meyers stays. Byrd and Harry should go.
Addressing the New England Patriots tight end situation.
Since Rob Gronkowski’s departure after the 2018 season. absent a decent performance by elder statesman and second-time-around Patriot Ben Watson in 2019, the tight end situation for the New England Patriots has been in flux. And it hasn’t been good.
In fact, one would be hard-pressed to find a worse until in the NFL period. The position is currently manned by three players.
Musket Fire
The senior member of the cast is Ryan Izzo who has 13 catches for 199 yards in 13 games this season. He’s the best of the lot. His strength is blocking but he’s no more than a third tight end if that on any other NFL team most likely. That about says it all about this position.
The other two tight ends are rookie 2020 third-round draft picks, Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene. Investing two high picks and trading added pick(s) to move up for both left high expectations for these rookies.
Unfortunately, they were not at all met. Asiasi has no catches at all for the season in eight games and Keene has two in five games.
Expectations for third-round picks should be at a minimum to contribute on special teams and play some meaningful minutes with some production at their position. At least some. The two tight end draftees by New England have basically contributed almost nothing at all to the team.
Couple that with Izzo’s lack of catches and the dreadful wide receiver grouping after Edelman’s injury, and Newton was basically left without much of anyone to throw to.
Izzo maybe stays. Asiasi and Keene probably stay because they were high picks.
The New England Patriots offensive line was its strongest group.
The New England Patriots offensive line has to be considered a big disappointment in 2020. Pass protection was poor most of the season and run blocking was sketchy.
The $14M guard, Joe Thuney is not just one of the team’s best offensive linemen, he’s one of the best players on the team. He also proved his worth to the team with his versatility. But after Isaiah Wynn went down with an injury, Thuney should have been given the nod at left tackle. He can play any position on the offensive line and it would have been better for the team if he had taken up that position.
Arguments that you’d weaken another position or two positions in doing that don’t hold water with Thuney. He can excel anywhere on the line and the second most important player on the team is the left tackle, as Newton can well attest. The Patriots inability to replace Wynn cost them dearly.
This one is totally on the coaches.
Wynn himself is an anomaly. He’s the size of a smaller guard or center but is slotted in at left tackle. When he’s healthy he’s a tremendously talented player. The issue is availability. In his three seasons with New England after being a first-round draft pick, he has only played eight, 10, and 10 games due to injury.
Being injured for Wynn is no longer an aberration, it’s a pattern. He’s injured every year. Whether this is related to his size (not likely) or he just always gets hurt, he has to be considered injury prone at this point. When that characterizes your offensive left tackle, you have a problem, a big problem.
His likely back-up might have been Yodney Cajuste, but he has yet to play in even one game in two years after having been a third-round pick for New England. One of New England’s top two picks in 2021 has to be an offensive left tackle. Right after a young quarterback.
At guard, the Patriots have the terrific Thuney but at $14M salary this season on the franchise tag, he may be too expensive for a rebuilding team. If the Patriots can’t sign him to a deal at more reasonable money a trade may be best for both sides.
Thuney will get his long-term deal and New England will hopefully get a top player or high draft capital. At this point, however, a player is the best option since this team has shown time and again that it is a clueless drafting team. In addition, the right side is manned by the dependable and talented Shaq Mason.
If both stay, guard is the best position on the team. In addition, David Andrews is a talented center and if he’s fully healthy next season he will be solid as usual.
The right tackle spot is manned by the team’s best rookie draft pick in year’s, Michael Onwenu, a sixth-round pick from Michigan. A previous article explained that picking Onwenu was a solid move. He filled in early on at guard, and then after another replacement flopped as a fill-in for Marcus Cannon who had opted-out, he stepped into the offensive right tackle spot and made it his own.
He has started all 15 of New England’s games. He’s been touted not only as New England’s best rookie but one of the best rookie performers in the NFL. This was a great but obviously lucky pick for New England on another Michigan sixth-rounder. Unfortunately, their other picks did not work out nearly so well.
The backups on the offensive line were two linemen the team traded for in 2019, Jermaine Eluemunor and Korey Cunningham. Neither has panned out even as backups. Enough said.
Another draftee, fifth-round pick Justin Herron has overachieved to an extent, playing in 11 games, starting five, and acquitting himself fairly well. Long-term he’s likely a backup, however. The offensive line is a unit that needs a major infusion of youth and talent in 2021.
In addition, the team has to decide where they go with Wynn. His chronic injury situation is a very real and significant problem. The decision on Wynn will not be an easy one.
Yet, one thing is certain, adding another starting-caliber offensive left tackle is a necessity either in free agency or in the draft.
Wynn stays (probably). Mason, Andrews, and Onwenu stay. Herron stays. Thuney may go. Eluemunor and Cunningham go. Cajuste goes.
Next up, who stays or goes on defense. These suggestions may surprise.