Soon will be time to look at youngsters
LAS VEGAS — Making the playoffs is a far-fetched goal for the 1-4 Patriots, who sit alone in last place of the AFC East. Players and coaches will say there’s plenty of football left to be played, but advancing to the postseason seems incredibly unrealistic.
So, how should the Patriots approach the following weeks?
The team needs to identify which players can be part of a core moving forward. Yes, the team needs to improve its pass protection. Yes, quarterback Mac Jones needs to stop turning the ball over. There are plenty of week-to-week adjustments to be made. But, even amid less-thanideal circumstances, the Patriots need to determine which players can be part of their future plans.
Jones, of course, is one of New England’s pending decisions, with the fifth-year option on his rookie deal looming. The team must decide by May if it wants to extend Jones through the 2025 season on a cost-controlled year.
Coming off two of the worst performances of his career, Jones hasn’t inspired much confidence lately. If he can’t bounce back Sunday in Las Vegas, then a change at quarterback would not be out of the question. Even though the Patriots haven’t surrounded Jones with an adequate offensive line or an elite receiver, he is not blameless in their struggles.
Elsewhere on offense, given their lack of top-end talent, the Patriots should try to get a more comprehensive look at their younger wide receivers.
With JuJu Smith-Schuster and Demario Douglas both ruled out this week with concussions, wide receiver Kayshon Boutte should be active. Boutte, drafted in the sixth round out of LSU, has been a healthy scratch for the past four games. He played 69 percent of the offense’s snaps in Week 1 against Philadelphia, when DeVante Parker was out with a knee injury, but did not register a catch on four targets.
Boutte had a chance to make a key fourth-down reception in the fourth quarter, a play that would’ve given the Patriots first and goal and kept their comeback drive alive with 29 seconds to go. But he did not get both feet in bounds, effectively ending the game.
As a result of New England’s numbers at wide receiver, the 21-year-old Boutte hasn’t seen the field since. If the rest of the room is healthy, he’s likely inactive. But, with Smith-Schuster and Douglas unavailable, he should get an opportunity this week.
The same goes for Tyquan Thornton, who started the season on injured reserve. Thornton, 23, returned to practice this week and will be available for Sunday’s game after the team activated him Saturday.
The urgency and pressure is higher for Thornton, a 2022 second-round pick who has shown flashes but has struggled to stay on the field. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.28 seconds at the combine, and brings speed that the Patriots are otherwise lacking. His snap count and production certainly bears watching.
Although the Patriots need more than just a spark from Boutte or Thornton to fix the problems plaguing their passing attack this year, meaningful contributions from the two youngsters would bode well for the future.
The same could be said about Douglas, a 22-year-old rookie who has emerged as one of the offense’s bright spots. Through five games, Douglas has been on the field for only 24.1 percent of the offense’s snaps.
If the Patriots fall further out of contention, it may be in their best interest to give the trio more playing time in order to better evaluate what they have at the position. More in-game reps would only benefit the youngsters moving forward.
If the Patriots find themselves still sputtering ahead of the Oct. 31 trade deadline, perhaps they become sellers and consider shipping away one of their veteran receivers. SmithSchuster and Parker are both under contract through the 2025 season, while Kendrick Bourne is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.
In addition to Smith-Schuster and Parker, the offensive players currently under contract for 2024 are Jones, Boutte, Douglas, Thornton, running back Rhamondre Stevenson, and seven offensive linemen (David Andrews, Calvin Anderson, Jake Andrews, Vederian Lowe, Atonio Mafi, Sidy Sow, and Cole Strange.)
The Patriots have far more defensive players under contract next season, with defensive tackles Christian Barmore, Daniel Ekuale, Davon Godchaux, Lawrence Guy, and Sam Roberts; defensive ends Keion White and Deatrich Wise Jr.; linebackers Ja’Whaun Bentley, Chris Board, Matthew Judon, Raekwon McMillan, and Jahlani Tavai; cornerbacks Isaiah Bolden, Christian Gonzalez, J.C. Jackson, Jack Jones, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones, Ameer Speed, and Shaun Wade; and safeties Marte Mapu, Jabrill Peppers, and Adrian Phillips.
The Patriots have already started to work in their younger defensive players more as a result of injuries. Judon’s absence has led to increased playing time for White, a second-round pick, and Anfernee Jennings, a 2020 third-round pick. Both players logged a season-high number of snaps last week against New Orleans.
With Gonzalez and Marcus Jones both out for an extended period with torn labrums, Jack Jones will have a big opportunity upon returning from injured reserve. Dealing with a nagging hamstring issue, he has yet to return to practice.
As the Patriots navigate the remainder of the season, playing and evaluating their young talent should become more of a priority. Which players could be part of a core? Knowing the answer will be critical to New England’s rebuild.