After an 8-9 debacle of a season last year, New England fans are cautiously optimistic heading into the 2023 campaign. The page has been turned with Bill O’Brien taking at offensive coordinator, which should lead to better results this fall.
While some players were held back by injuries or poor coaching last year, there is hope that some of those players will step up and be key contributors this year. The Patriots will certainly need their share of breakouts if they want to keep pace in a stacked AFC East.
With that in mind, here are three Patriots players who are ready to break out in 2023.
3 Patriots Breakout Candidates 2023
1. Tyquan Thornton
Drafted in the second round in 2022 (50th overall), Thornton turned heads during training camp last year with his blazing speed. There were hopes that he could boost the offense as a poor man’s Tyreek Hill, but those never materialized.
Thornton suffered a collarbone injury during a preseason game and missed the first four weeks of the season. By the time he made his NFL debut in Week 5, he seemed out of sync with the offense (as did most of his teammates) and never really got going. He finished with just 22 catches on 45 targets for 247 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Now that he has a full year of NFL experience under his belt and a full offseason to get on the same page with Mac Jones, Thornton should be considerably better in Year 2. Nobody’s expecting him to dominate, but he has the potential to be a solid No. 2 or No. 3 receiver in this offense. He should wind up with much better numbers than last year and gives New England’s offense an explosive playmaker who can take the top off a defense.
Last year was a false start for Thornton, but this year we should see what he’s really capable of.
2. Pierre Strong
Assuming the Patriots don’t sign a big-name running back at the last minute to complement Rhamondre Stevenson, Strong will battle Kevin Harris for the RB2 opening vacated by Damien Harris.
Based on their numbers as rookies last year, Strong seems to have the inside track to win the role. He racked up 100 rushing yards and 1 TD on just 10 attempts last season, while Harris struggled with 2.9 yards per carry. Strong is also two years older than Harris and was drafted two rounds earlier, so he’s a bit more polished.
Strong’s pre-draft profile is another thing that gives him some really interesting potential. Running a 4.37-second 40-yard dash while weighing in at 207 pounds is an elite combination. There’s a reason he was able to rush for a staggering 7 yards per carry at South Dakota State, and size and strength like that absolutely translate to the NFL level.
With Damien out of the picture, expect Strong to take the RB2 job and run with it (literally). Bill Belichick loves to rotate his running backs to keep them fresh and put opposing defenses on their toes, so Strong should get plenty of snaps and the chance to show his stuff. He also has competition from Harris, which should motivate him to have a breakout year.
3. Kevin Harris
While we already have Harris’ backfield mate pegged as a breakout candidate, there could still be room for Harris to break out as well. As mentioned, Harris is two years younger than Strong, which means he potentially has more space to grow and develop.
Harris is also 20 pounds heavier than Strong despite being one inch shorter, which could make him more durable and better suited to the RB2 role. Harris could see more of the carries while Strong gets more work on passing downs after catching all seven of his targets for 42 yards last year.
And even if he does open the year as the RB3, Harris could still break out if an injury arises or if Strong suffers from turnover issues.
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