Patriots really need this draft to be a hit
I spent more than a few words during the 2023 season wondering if/when the Patriots were going to re-sign their own pending free agents.
Part of that was because pondering what might happen was often more interesting than what was happening during a dull and dismal 4-13 season, which of course ended up being the last of Bill Belichick’s mostly extraordinary 24-year run.
But it also struck me as ideal if not downright essential to keep many of them — almost all of them, actually — given their capabilities, the scarcity of high-end talent on the roster (at least on offense), and the flea-market pickings at many of their particular positions in free agency.
I did not expect the Patriots to retain offensive lineman Michael Onwenu . . . and tight end Hunter Henry . . . and receiver Kendrick Bourne . . . and pass rusher Josh Uche . . . and safety Kyle Dugger, who is on the transition tag for now, among others.
The failure to sign them before they got to free agency seemed to indicate that either their price was too high, the interest in retaining them under Belichick was lukewarm, or the players weren’t about to commit to remaining in a rebuilding situation. So when it comes to NFL free agency, which has now reached its “talk yourself into this injured/underachieving/anonymous player” phase, I find it both surprising and encouraging that the Patriots were able to retain so many of their own, while also shedding some deadweight (Jacksonville Mac and the never-open DeVante Parker, namely).
Considering that none of the deals feel like overpays (Onwenu’s three-year, $57 million deal is the most expensive, and that feels like nothing worse than the going rate for a versatile, Pro Bowlcaliber lineman), it reflects well on new coach Jerod Mayo that so many players decided to stick around.
Players that know him want to play for him. That’s a great sign.
What is not great is that new personnel boss El
iot Wolf and the front office have come up short so far in addressing needs in the open market. It turns out it’s far easier to convince players to stay in New England than it is to bring outsiders with multiple options into a situation that remains unsettled at least until they presumably draft their quarterback of the future next month.
The Patriots have added what I would call competent depth thus far in free agency, including quarterback Jacoby Brissett (an excellent fit as a placeholder/mentor), receiver K.J. Osborn, running back Antonio Gibson, tight end Austin Hooper, guard Nick Leverett, and tackle Chukwuma Okorafor.
Some of those players will help, some will not, but given that the Patriots are coming off a season in which their offensive depth chart was the least talented I have seen in Foxborough since 1990 if not longer, any capable additions are welcome.
But it doesn’t feel like enough. Of course it doesn’t, because it is not. Fans were hoping for a splash. Instead, they got nothing more than the kind of delicate ripples that occur when a rock skims over the surface.
I can’t begrudge the Patriots for not going to $92 million or more to outbid the Titans for Calvin Ridley, an A-/B+ of a receiver who is being paid like an A++. But when your new coach declares “we’re ready to burn some cash” soon after getting the job, it’s reasonable to anticipate the Patriots intended to overpay in certain situations.
I do wonder whether Wolf and the Patriots were caught off-guard to a small degree by so many potential free agent receivers ultimately remaining with their teams, either on a franchise tag or a new contract.
Because the Patriots did not secure a topnotch wide receiver or clear starting-caliber left tackle in free agency, those needs must be addressed in the draft after the No. 3 pick is spent on whoever is left between LSU’s Jayden Daniels and North Carolina’s Drake Maye.
(And no, for the 199th time, you don’t trade down. You take the shot at the high-end quarterback when you have the chance, especially after you’ve spent a season watching Mac Jones chuck so many mallards that Bailey Zappe started looking like a viable option.)
The Patriots are fortunate that this draft class aligns with their needs. A few potential franchise quarterbacks, all sorts of promising receivers, and decent quality at tackle. As far as I see it, Wolf has two paths through the first three rounds: quarterback-receiver-tackle, or quarterback-tackle-receiver. And if he can figure a way to trade back into the first round and swipe a receiver he really covets, even better.
What else? He’s allowed to allocate one thirdday pick, two at the most, to the defense. Every resource needs to be dedicated to the offense, which was either neglected or mismanaged by Belichick the last two seasons.
This is the Patriots’ most important draft since taking Drew Bledsoe No. 1 overall in 1993. The franchise’s next stars did not arrive during free agency. It’s imperative that Wolf and his staff find them, plural, in this draft.