The New England Patriots head into the 2020 season without Tom Brady as the projected starter under center for the first time in 19 years.

Despite some whispers they might look into adding a veteran quarterback, it seems the Pats are content with former fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham as their guy moving forward. The Patriots also did not select a quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft.

One AFC evaluator wonders if New England's complacency at the quarterback spot is suggestive of their willingness to tank this season. That would be in order to land 2021 prospect and Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

Lawrence would certainly be a prospect of interest. He has long been hailed as the top prospect in the class of 2021, and would seemingly be the perfect successor in New England.

At the same time, these are the Patriots. Bill Belichick is still the head coach, and Robert Kraft is still the owner. This is not a team that willingly chooses to tank.

Moreover, it seems unlikely the Pats could “tank” the season even if they tried.

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New England's defense ranked first in total defense-adjusted value over average (DVOA) last season, per Football Outsiders.

The Pats still have arguably the best secondary in the league, one they added to by selecting hyper-athletic safety Kyler Dugger in the second round of the draft. Although New England lost some talent on the front seven, Belichick is one of the best in the business at plugging holes and maximizing talent.

Lawrence has the size, arm strength and escape ability to make scouts salivate. But it does not seem realistic to say the Pats are “tanking” given the talent on defense and the fact they are willing to give Stidham a shot.