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.
New England Patriots position of need No. 4: Cornerback
We won’t allow recency bias to impact this list more than it should, but it’s clear that the team needs to freshen up their secondary this offseason. They have already gotten a head start by adding Kyle Dugger to their safety room, but it’s probably time to try to draft and develop another cornerback.
Assuming the Patriots return all their starters at cornerback next season (more on that in a second), they would be in pretty good position at the position for the most part. J.C. Jackson and Jalen Mills formed a solid top tandem for the Pats during the second half of the season, and Jonathan Jones will be back in action after missing most of the season with a shoulder injury. But the depth at this spot is sorely lacking.
The main goal at cornerback (and arguably the entire roster) this offseason is to re-sign Jackson. Jackson’s deal is up, and if the team cannot agree to an extension with him before free agency opens, that probably means Jackson is heading elsewhere. The Patriots could place the franchise tag on Jackson, but that’s probably not something they want to do.
Behind their starters, it seems like time to move on from some of the current holdovers on their roster. Joejuan Williams has done absolutely nothing during his first three seasons with the team, and seems set to get released at some point. Guys like Myles Bryant and D’Angelo Ross were thrust into roles they weren’t ready for due to injury, and if they don’t land on the practice squad, it’s not worth holding onto them.
Jackson is going to be the top priority this offseason, and if the Patriots don’t bring him back they could be in some serious trouble at the cornerback position. Aside from that, getting younger in the secondary is something that clearly needs to be accomplished, so maybe a couple of middle or late round draft picks could be used on trying to improve their cornerback depth. The cornerback room is in good position for now, but it could look much different when next season rolls around.
New England Patriots position of need No. 3: Defensive end/Edge Rusher
This grouping was one of the top needs last offseason, and it seemed like they were in pretty good shape coming into the season. Matthew Judon was the big money signing of free agency last offseason, and with young guys like Chase Winovich and Josh Uche seeming set for potential breakout seasons, the Patriots were expected to be able to get some pressure on opposing quarterbacks quite often.
And while the unit obviously showed some improvement this season, they still need some help. Judon had a standout season, posting 12.5 sacks, but the drop off in production behind him is pretty significant. Kyle Van Noy was the only other player to have more than three sacks on the season, and considering he wasn’t even playing on the edge the majority of the time, that’s not exactly a good sign.
The main reason for the struggles from this group was really due to the lack of development from Winovich and Uche. Both guys struggled to stay on the field for long stretches of the season, and even when they were on the field they weren’t exactly productive. The Patriots took a gamble on them to produce and it didn’t pay off, so now it’s time to find a solution.
The free agent market is going to be filled with some solid edge rushers to complement Judon, but a lot of the team’s free agent strategy is going to depend on what they do with their current free agents. If they have some cap space leftover after re-signing their own guys, it would make sense to try to sign a veteran pass rusher such as Melvin Ingram or Justin Houston.
Judon had a really solid season, but once opposing offenses realized they didn’t have to worry as much about his teammates, he struggled to generate much pressure on his own. It’s time to give him a partner-in-crime lining up alongside him to help him generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks. The pass rush had a solid season, but it’s clear they can become better for next season as well.
New England Patriots position of need No. 2: Wide Receiver
The wide receiver room looked a little light heading into the season, and there was hope a trade deadline move could have been in store for the Pats. Instead, the move to add another receiver was pushed off until after the season. Running with a top trio of Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne, and Nelson Agholor seemed to be a bit risky, and while it worked out better than expected, it’s clear they still need some help at this position.
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For the most part, Meyers and Bourne turned into a solid duo that Jones relied on heavily. Agholor didn’t really pan out in his first season, although it makes sense because the offense relied heavily on the short passing game, and Agholor profiles as more of a deep threat. And then there’s N’Keal Harry, who somehow found more ways to disappoint this season.
Despite the success of the Meyers/Bourne duo, the offense as a whole would benefit greatly from the addition of a true number one wide receiver. They may not have the funds available to sign a guy like Davante Adams or Chris Godwin, but they could look to make a trade for someone of this caliber. They could hope the Chicago Bears would franchise tag Robinson and then trade him, or they could look to trade for a guy like Calvin Ridley too.
Meyers and Bourne will obviously return next season, but the goal should be to find a top wideout to pair with them. I doubt Harry will be on the roster next season, and considering the amount of money Agholor’s deal is worth, it wouldn’t be a total surprise to see him get moved at some point either. There aren’t a ton of wideouts who would be available for small price tags, unless you want to take a flier on a guy like Odell Beckham Jr.
The Patriots did a good job reinventing their offense last offseason, but it was clear that they were missing a top receiver many times this past season. Bringing on a top wide receiver could just be what New England’s offense needs to take things to the next level.
New England Patriots position of need No. 1: Linebacker
For a awhile, it seemed like the “Boogeymen” of the 2019 defense, led by Dont’a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy, and Jamie Collins, had made a triumphant return. Instead, the unit ended up getting exposed over and over down the stretch of the season. Now it seems like big improvements are needed at the position, and they need to be made this offseason.
Arguably the best linebacker this season was Ja’Whaun Bentley, who led the team with 109 tackles on the season. Bentley is a free agent, and he is going to be one of the team’s top priorities this offseason. Unfortunately, his partner-in-crime Hightower probably played his last game for the Patriots.
Hightower appeared to have lost a step during his one season layoff, and he labored through most of the season. He rarely made much of an impact on games, and he was just awful against the Bills in the Wild Card round. Assuming he doesn’t retire, which appears to be a real possibility, Hightower would be a free agent this offseason, and I cannot see the Patriots spending any sort of money to bring him back.
Bringing Bentley back along Van Noy seems like the start of the work at this position. After that the best bet to address this position would be to grab a top linebacker with the team’s first round draft choice. The consensus top two linebackers available in the upcoming draft are Nakobe Dean of Georgia and Devin Lloyd of Utah, and both might be available when the Pats pick midway through the first round.
New England’s defense needs to get younger, and drafting a linebacker in the first round seems like the perfect solution. Get a young player who can become a leader for the next generation of Patriots’ defenses, while also filling arguably your top position of need. Guys like Hightower and Collins have have great careers in New England, but the time has come for both parties to go a different route.