THE MOST PRESSURE IN ’22?
Joe. Obviously it’s important for all players to get coached well, and we plan on doing that.”
Whether Jones gets proper coaching, weapons, or not, the Patriots are putting pressure on him to be even more impactful than last year. As Kraft pointed out, it happened with other secondyear quarterbacks, namely Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert. It’s important to remember though, that both of those quarterbacks were armed with resources to succeed in Year 2.
Parker is certainly a start toward that goal. We’ll see if there’s more to come in the draft.
Naturally, there’s a lot on the quarterback’s plate just by the nature of the position. But Jones is expected to excel in less than advantageous circumstances, without any semblance of a quarterback guru in the stable.
Jonnu Smith & Nelson Agholor
Currently, Smith and Agholor are the poster boys for money not well spent in free agency last year. Belichick and Kraft’s remarks were no doubt aimed at them. So it’s on that duo to make those contracts not look so bad this season.
Let’s start with Smith, who just might be the player under the most pressure to produce.
After signing a four-year, $50 million deal with $31.25 million guaranteed as one of the big splashes the Patriots made in the free agent pool, Smith produced an
underwhelming 28 catches on 45 targets in the 16 games he played. He gained just 298 yards.
Given the money, along with his untapped talent, the onus is on the tight end to look more like the explosive playmaker he was in Tennessee.
It didn’t help his cause coming to a new team, and skipping the voluntary OTAs last year. It’s his right to do so, but seemed to put him behind right away. Making matters worse, he got hurt the first day of mandatory minicamp. Then he missed time during training camp.
After all of that, starting slow, and sometimes barely being used,
former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels called it a “foundational year” for Smith.
Whatever the case, the Patriots are paying him to be a star. They’re paying him to be one-half of a great tight end tandem along with Hunter Henry.
Belichick said he was expecting a “step up” from certain players on the roster.
No one needs to make that step more than Smith.
As for Agholor, he wasn’t quite as bad as Smith, but given what the Patriots invested in him (2 years, $22 million), the receiver needs to do more. Another 37-catch season
with less than 500 yards isn’t going to cut it. Although, who knows the future of Agholor, after the Patriots pulled off a trade with the Dolphins Saturday for Parker.
Young linebackers
The Patriots haven’t exactly gotten the most out of recent drafts, last year notwithstanding.
Josh Uche, Anfernee Jennings, Cameron McGrone and Ronnie Perkins, all defensive players, have a chance to improve the narrative.
And, the way it sounds, that’s exactly what Kraft is expecting.
Uche, Jennings, McGrone and Perkins represent the “couple in the weeds from before” the owner believes will produce more.
Uche certainly flashed in minicamp last year and continued to play well early in training camp. But he went from an unblockable force, to barely seeing the field when the season started. He took a seat in favor of Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins, and Dont’a Hightower.
With that trio likely gone, Uche, taken with a second-round pick in 2020, needs to finally make his mark. The same goes for the others on this list.
Jennings, a third-round pick the same year, is a bit of a mystery. He played in 14 games in 2020, registering 20 tackles. Last season, he missed the first three days of camp for “personal reasons.” He returned and practiced for what amounted to a cup of coffee, and ended up on IR not long after for undisclosed reasons.
So it’s a make-or-break year for the former Alabama product.
McGrone, meanwhile, missed his rookie year thanks to the ACL tear he suffered in November 2020 while with Michigan. He was close to returning late in the year, but should be good-to-go in 2022. He’s the type of speedy linebacker the Pats need.
As for Perkins, a 2021 thirdround pick, he essentially had a redshirt year last year. The Patriots need pass rush help. He’s in the mix on the edge, and Belichick could sure use him to wreak havoc with the quarterback.