New England Patriots: Top 4 positions of need heading into the offseason

The New England Patriots 2021-22 season came to a screeching halt in the Wild Card round, as they got obliterated by the Buffalo Bills 47-17. It wasn’t the way the Patriots or fans were hoping their season would end, but this season was still filled with positive developments for the Pats.

For starters, it seems like they have found their quarterback of the future in Mac Jones. Jones beat out the incumbent Cam Newton in training camp, and ended up guiding the Patriots to the playoffs in his first season. His overall numbers won’t jump off the page (352/521, 3801 YDS, 22 TD, 13 INT), but Jones generally put his team in position to succeed, and kept his mistakes to a minimum. You can’t ask for much more from a rookie quarterback.

After watching a mass exodus of talent over the previous few seasons, the Patriots reloaded in free agency to help them make their way back to the playoffs. Key signings such as Matthew Judon, Hunter Henry, and Kendrick Bourne immediately fit into the team’s culture and played big roles in their initial seasons. With a full season under their belt now, they will be looking to take things to the next level when they take the field next.

Despite the improvements we saw from the Patriots this past season, their season-ending loss at the hands of Buffalo proves they still have a lot of work to do. After focusing on upgrades to the offense last offseason, it wouldn’t be surprising to see New England make a lot of moves geared towards upgrading their defense. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the top four positions of need for the Patriots this offseason.