The New England Patriots had some high hopes for their 2022 campaign that they simply didn't reach. After a successful rookie campaign for Mac Jones that saw him lead New England back to the playoffs and earn Pro Bowl honors, the Pats offense regressed drastically, and was only really kept alive by their dominant defense.
Heading into the offseason, it's clear that major changes were needed. The good news is that those changes are already starting to get made. After letting Matt Patricia and Joe Judge run the offense last season, which backfired in horrible fashion, New England has already hired their former offensive coordinator, Bill O'Brien to come in and take control of the unit for the upcoming season.
O'Brien's presence should certainly help, but that's not immediately going to make the Pats a postseason contender in a crowded AFC next season. Let's take a look at three other major fixes the Patriots need to make this offseason if they want to find their way back to the playoffs, and see why they are so important to the team's success.
3. Shore up their cornerback depth chart
The Patriots knew they were going to be a bit short handed at cornerback heading into the season after losing J.C. Jackson in free agency last offseason and failing to truly replace him. Thanks to unexpected contributions from two rookies in Marcus Jones and Jack Jones, though, the Patriots cornerback room largely lived up to expectations, even with Jalen Mills missing the final six games of the season.
Mills and Jonathan Jones were the top two corners on the season, and while Mills is under contract, Jones is set to hit free agency this offseason. After being a slot corner for most of his career, Jones shifted to the outside, and put together the best season of his career. Jones could be set to cash out in free agency, but even if he returns, the Pats may want to search for an upgrade over Mills.
Marcus Jones seems like a top slot cornerback option moving forward, and maybe Jack Jones can stick as a starter in 2023, but banking on everything to work out for this group again in 2023 is risky business. Re-signing Jonathan Jones would help, but signing another solid corner, or using a high draft pick on one, would certainly help keep this spot in tip-top shape.
2. Find a new left tackle and offensive line coach
Part of the problem with New England's offense was that their o-line couldn't really do anything right for much of the season. They struggled to keep Jones upright under center, and were unable to consistently open running lanes for Rhamondre Stevenson and Damien Harris. It's going to require some big fixes to be made this offseason.
The Pats thought they solved the problem by re-signing Trent Brown in free agency last offseason and putting him at left tackle rather than Isaiah Wynn, but Wynn was just as bad at right tackle, and Brown didn't exactly have his best season either. Of course, implementing a new zone blocking scheme didn't help either, and Patricia, who also worked with the o-line, was out of his depth coaching this position as well.
The Patriots seem well on their way to bringing in a new offensive line coach in the aftermath of O'Brien's hiring, but the work cannot stop there. The tackle market in free agency is pretty solid, with Mike McGlinchey and Orlando Brown Jr. both set to be available, or the team could address the need in the draft with their first-round pick. Whichever way you cut it, this is a huge need for the Pats offense if they want to bounce back next season.
1. Bring in more pass-catching talent, particularly wide receivers, for Mac Jones
Nobody is going to come forward and tell you that Jones had a good sophomore campaign with the Patriots, but he certainly didn't have a lot of things working in his favor. Patricia had no idea what he was doing when it came to running the team's offense, the offensive line was mediocre at best, and even worse, Jones had virtually no one to throw the ball to.
Jakobi Meyers was Jones' top target for the second straight season, but Jones' second favorite target from 2021 in Kendrick Bourne was completely phased out of the offense for whatever reason. Aside from these two, the Pats got inconsistent production from a crew of players that included DeVante Parker, Nelson Agholor, Tyquan Thornton, Hunter Henry, and Jonnu Smith.
Finding an upgrade, particularly when it comes to the wide receiver position, would go a long way to helping Jones develop. Re-signing Meyers, who is set for free agency, would be huge, but going out and swinging a trade for a guy like DeAndre Hopkins is precisely what this offense needs. It doesn't matter who it is, but adding a top-tier wide receiver has to be New England's number one goal this offseason if they truly want to make it back to the playoffs in 2023.
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