13 players Bill Belichick, New England Patriots need to make leaps in 2022
No. 2: Mac Jones must become the leader of the New England Patriots offense
Obviously, the weight of the 2022 NFL season is on the shoulders of Mac Jones.
After a solid rookie season, the New England Patriots are banking on Jones to take a big Year 2 leap in the NFL. Maybe they are counting on that too much as the young quarterback enters his second season with a question mark as an offensive coordinator.
With Josh McDaniels gone, Mac Jones will have to continue to learn with perhaps Joe Judge as the signal caller. No ideal, but it is what it is and Bill Belichick must either believe in his quarterback or will have a bigger role in the offensive play calling himself.
Whatever the case, Jones can only focus on getting better both physically and continue to define the cerebral aspect of his game. He will have some new playmakers around him like DeVante Parker and second-round pick Tyquan Thornton, but he will be relying on players like tight end Jonnu Smith and wide receiver Nelson Agholor to have better seasons in Year 2 with the Patriots.
Along with Hunter Henry, Kendrick Bourne, Jakobi Meyers and a group of versatile running backs, there is enough there around Jones for him to have a better season than he did in his rookie season in which he did make the Pro Bowl.
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Still lacking that true No. 1 explosive wide receiver, the challenge is for Jones to make those players better and turn into a true leader on the field. That may be a lot of pressure put on the young Patriots quarterback in just his second season, but it sounds like Belichick believes he’s ready to do just that.