6 Offseason Moves the Patriots Must Make to Return to the Playoffs Next Season

Some major changes happened this offseason for the New England Patriots. Following a frustrating 4-13 campaign, they moved on from Bill Belichick and for the first time since the 1990s, someone new will coach the franchise.

Jerod Mayo was always seen as a potential head coach and now he gets the chance to prove himself with the same team that brought him up. He’s also added several new assistants, including offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, who is known for his ability to work with quarterbacks.

Now that the staff is in place, the Patriots turn their attention to the roster. It won’t be easy to fix everything but if they make these six moves, it could get them back into playoff contention.

6. Find a kicker

As good as Bill Belichick was throughout his career, he sure did whiff on a lot of draft picks. He was unable to find a solid wideout throughout much of his tenure and then took a lot of heat when he selected Cole Strange in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

This past season, he made another unexpected pick when he took Chad Ryland from Maryland in Round 4. Ryland was then kept on the roster while the incredibly dependable Nick Folk was released. Folk had a fantastic season in Tennessee (29-of-30 on field goals) while Ryland struggled.

The rookie was just 16-of-25 and made only 50 percent of his attempts beyond 40 yards. If Belichick was still the coach, they might be stuck as he attempted to prove he was right to draft him. With the head coach out, New England needs to cut their losses and go for a more reliable kicker.