It took them all summer, but the Patriots finally made a splash in free agency by signing running back Ezekiel Elliott. While his best days are probably behind him, Elliott will pair with Rhamondre Stevenson to form a potent 1-2 punch in New England’s backfield.
Just because the Patriots signed Elliott doesn’t mean their offseason shopping has to end yet, however. Their regular-season opener against the Eagles is still over three weeks away, so there’s still time to add to the roster and address any remaining weaknesses before Week 1.
If New England is serious about contending in the loaded AFC East, there’s still work to be done. Here are three offseason moves the Patriots still need to make after signing Zeke.
3 Offseason Moves the Patriots Still Need to Make
1. Sign A Wide Receiver
Now that the Patriots have addressed their RB2 situation to replace Damien Harris, they need to pivot to their most glaring offseason need: wide receiver.
New England came close to adding a WR1 during its pursuit of DeAndre Hopkins, only to lose him to the Titans. It’s too late to land one now, but there’s still time to add another wideout and bolster the depth in the receiver room.
After giving Elliott a one-year, incentive-laden deal, the Patriots should follow a similar strategy with a wide receiver. Former stars such as Kenny Golladay and Julio Jones are still available, as are established veterans like Jarvis Landry and Sammy Watkins.
While none of those players are particularly attractive at this stage in their careers and are unlikely to supercharge New England’s offense, one of them would still be better than nothing. Mac Jones needs as many weapons as possible if he wants to get his career back on track this year, and having JuJu Smith-Schuster as his No. 1 option doesn’t seem particularly appealing.
Each day that goes by is one less day that Jones has to build chemistry with a new receiver, so it would behoove the Pats to get him one sooner rather than later.
2. Snag Another Tight End
New England had a significant injury scare earlier this week when Mike Gesicki suffered a mild dislocated shoulder during practice. While his injury isn’t believed to be overly serious, it’s still a concern that he’s already dealing with something during the preseason that could linger into the regular season as well.
With that in mind, the Patriots should consider bringing in another tight end as insurance in case Gesicki misses time or isn’t 100%. New England’s offense truly thrives when it has two quality pass-catchers at tight end, especially with a quarterback like Jones who relies on shorter throws. The team used that model to great success the last time Bill O’Brien was their offensive coordinator back in 2011, riding Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez to a Super Bowl appearance.
There aren’t a lot of options left at what is already a thin position to start with, but Cameron Brate profiles as a solid TE2 next to Hunter Henry. Brate is intriguing as a former Super Bowl champ and given his history with Tom Brady, which means New England’s coaching staff might be able to get the most out of him. He also went to Harvard, so he’s the type of smart player that Bill Belichick likes to have around.
If the Patriots aren’t going to add another wideout for Jones, they should at least make sure he has a strong tight end situation to count on.
3. Bring In a Cornerback
The Patriots are still in a tricky situation with second-year cornerback Jack Jones, who is facing possible legal action due to weapons charges. His probable cause hearing was just pushed back until Sept. 15, so he’ll at least be available for Week 1, but his status beyond that remains murky.
Based on the publicly available evidence, it’s hard to imagine Jones getting off scot-free. He’ll likely be punished at some point if he’s found guilty, but the main question is when.
New England can avoid some of this uncertainty by acquiring another cornerback in case Jones misses a large portion of the season. It’s better to be proactive now than wait until it’s too late, as the Patriots risk being shorthanded at a crucial position.
The Ravens just scooped up Ronald Darby on Thursday, so he’s no longer an option, but they also worked out Anthony Brown, who’s still available. The former Cowboy played for seven years with Zeke in Dallas — a connection that could make both players more comfortable in New England.
Whether it’s Brown or someone else, New England would be wise to pick up a cornerback rather than roll the dice with Jones.
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