Roster upgrade is vital!

[Clonamery]

Probably not but if our pick is the top of each round that might help other teams find us.

Plus trading back last year in the 2nd and the results will have other teams licking their chops.

 

[Real fan 02]

A list of free agents that interest me at a quick glance of lists of guys available as of now:

QB: n/a
RB: Aaron Jones (MIN), Najee Harris (PIT)
WR: Tee Higgins (CIN), Darius Slayton (NYG)
TE: Juwan Johnson (NO)
IOL: Drew Dalman (ATL), James Daniels (PIT)
OT: Alaric Jackson (LAR), Dan Moore (PIT)
DL: n/a
EDGE: Josh Sweat (PHI), Malcolm Koonce (LV), Baron Browning (ARI), Dayo Odeyingbo (IND), Chase Young (NO)
LB: Dre Greenlaw (SF)
CB Charvarius Ward (SF), Rasual Douglas (BUF), Carlton Davis (DET)
FS: Jevon Holland (MIA), Camryn Bynum (MIN)

I think there's a real opportunity to rebuild the defense through free agency. The drop off has been pretty heavy this year and I know many want to attribute it to poor coaching. I think talent is a huge factor too though. Even the harshest BB critics I think would acknowledge that he's arguably THE best defensive strategist in the history of the sport. I don't think his acumen and impact on that end has ever been in question. So I'm sure that's played in to some degree, but I also think that even though the personnel can be viewed as similar in a lot of ways, there's been some notable drop offs outside of coaching:

1) Bentley is out and while he's not a great player, he was their best LB and, most importantly, he was good enough to keep Tavai in a reduced role that he was an asset in. Now, with Bentley out, they have Tavai filling in terribly in the bigger LB role and also lose Tavai's positive contributions in his specialized role.

2) Peppers has been out for most of the year which forced Dugger to play mostly FS, which he's significantly worse at. Dugger also looks visibly limited by his ankle injury which means even though he's out there in name, he's not the same guy.

3) Jonathan Jones is another year older and reportedly playing hurt.

4) Barmore had blood clots and obviously wasn't the same guy in his limited time back.

They'll never get a defensive coach as good as BB but I still think they have guys with solid resumes on that end. Covington has long been viewed as a strong assistant. Mayo got head coaching and DC looks elsewhere. Pelligrino has always done a solid job with CBs. Not saying there's no possible concerns with coaching, but first and foremost I think they need a talent infusion on that end.

On the offensive end, its not that guys like Chris Godwin, Trey Smith, Ronnie Staley, Cam Robinson, and more don't interest me at all, I just prefer to go for some of the younger options.

Slayton is another guy I targeted as trade possible.. young and hasn't had the injury history like Godwin who operates mainly in the slot.. we have a redundancy at those types of WRs. Slayton is perfect and Higgins on the other side for Drake.. would be a nice tandem. Dan Moore would be an upgrade at LT over lowe..

On defense chase young or sweat at DE.. ward at CB .. on Barmore he came back prematurely as he initially was supposed to miss the season.. his body needs a full off season to really recover from something like that.

 

[Real fan 02]

Yes, the domino effect of 2 good wr’s and 2 edge rushers would be tremendous. Kayshon boutte imo would shine as a #3 and bourne as a 4 is really good.

2 edge rushers pushes white inside hopefully with barmore and keeps godchaux as space eater. I even wouldn’t hate ekuale if hes down to 25% of snsps and not asked to play so much like this year but he can maybe be upgraded too.

Other than cam r theres unlikely to be much worth it at ot. Theres a couple guards and centers but i think you roll with layden/strange/andrews/andrews/sow to hope some combination works out at lg and c for this year before you spend there. For now just focus on ot’s.

Yes OT is the focus as we have guys we can develop and play at the G spots. Dan Moore is a player in Pittsburgh I've has Mt eye on.. he's physically pushes DL back and has good length to hold off LBs blitzing. He'd be a upgrade over Lowe. Boutte reminds me some of gaffney.. he's not a 1 or a 2.. he's a nice 3 or 4 who can feast on teams 3rd or 4th DB. He definitely has a place on this team he has great hands too. Yes Ekquale has Been solid but he has to play far behind he abilities keeping him and guys like elliss in the rotation would help alot.. so we need young studs that have a quick first step, and can over power guys. We just need to become a team that pressures the QB to allow the secondary to make plays.

 

[PatsFan2]

If Wolf shops it, it won't be good.

Even if he blindly makes all the perfect signings and picks, it won't matter if Mayo is coaching them. In fact it'd be even worse, because then they'd be mediocre next year and Mayo will be locked in for at least 5 years.

Those 2 men are priority 1A and 1A to replace with competence. Everything else is a domino effect that starts there.

I am willing to give Wolf a Second chance off his Green Bay roots. Here's the thing regarding the last Draft: their were runs on WR and Offensive Tackle and out of nervousness Wolf panicked and Reached for Polk and Wallace. Remember if we stayed Pat no pun we come away with Drake Maye and Ladd McConkey. I think Wolf will learn from his mistakes and not be in such rush to Trade. That said one of our many Problems this year is Poor Position Coaching all around. We are definitely bringing up the rear in that department. We are a Poorly Coached Team from the Top Down and it shows. IF the Krafts realizes that: they'll open up their Wallets and get Real Coaches...we could possibly salvage some of these Draft picks ie...Polk - Wallace and Baker. Not holding my breath: but they have horrible Coaching angle going for them.

 

[Real fan 02]

That was a sign I was speaking more to the suggestion of trading for Crosby. We can afford to overpay for him.

I like the option of Darius slayton in NYG.. young and can grow with Drake. We need to have the WR room so good that this years starter may not even Crack the line up on game days.

 

[Scotty]

Just a question....other than the Krafts , who has final say on the coaches re keep or fire , is it Mayo or Wolf

 

[Real fan 02]

I am willing to give Wolf a Second chance off his Green Bay roots. Here's the thing regarding the last Draft: their were runs on WR and Offensive Tackle and out of nervousness Wolf panicked and Reached for Polk and Wallace. Remember if we stayed Pat no pun we come away with Drake Maye and Ladd McConkey. I think Wolf will learn from his mistakes and not be in such rush to Trade. That said one of our many Problems this year is Poor Position Coaching all around. We are definitely bringing up the rear in that department. We are a Poorly Coached Team from the Top Down and it shows. IF the Krafts realizes that: they'll open up their Wallets and get Real Coaches...we could possibly salvage some of these Draft picks ie...Polk - Wallace and Baker. Not holding my breath: but they have horrible Coaching angle going for them.

In the Krafts minds... they are under the believe that if they added talent it would make a difference. It should. However as I've said many times PF2.. they are all on the clock starting 4pm Sunday!

 

[lancerman]

Can't we be concerned about both?

It can, but the roster has been an issue since 2019. We had a 4 win team last year without Mayo as HC.

I think we can figure out what the constant problem is.

 

[Real fan 02]

Just a question....other than the Krafts , who has final say on the coaches re keep or fire , is it Mayo or Wolf

Mayo and Wolf collectively control the roster, and Mayo of course controls the staff too. Wolf has final say though on roster decisions.

 

[Grogan14]

If you fix GM, head coach and coordinators....roster improvement will follow.
Fix the leadership first.

Mayo and Wolf have proven beyond a doubt they are not competent

 

[Real fan 02]

If you fix GM, head coach and coordinators....roster improvement will follow.
Fix the leadership first.

Mayo and Wolf have proven beyond a doubt they are not competent

We can bring in Howie Rosman at GM and or Vrabel at HC if they had this roster they'd win 3 or 4 games.

 

[Pape]

Roster areas in need of improvement

1. Left tackle - Protect Maye at all costs
2. Wide Receiver - Give Maye something other than average to work with
3. Right tackle - see 1; adding two quality tackles will help the less than stellar guard play
4. Defensive tackle - teams run all over us. Need a dude to pair with Barmore
5. Defensive end/Edge - Put some pressure on opposing QBS
6. Coverage linebacker - anyone else tired of seeing Tavai dropping into coverage?
7. CB2 - Paired up with Gonzo, will make the safeties job easier
8. Center - can't rely on David Andrews health wise
9. Safety - Dugger has fallen off the cliff
10. K - Slye is a journeyman... we need another Gostkowski

 

[ViperGTS]

The draft is only part of the work in 2025. The Patriots have the most money under the cap of any NFL team - roughly $135 million which is $100 million more than the Jets. They've set themselves up for this off-season beautifully with five picks in the top 80 and a ton of money to pay free free agents.

This is what a re-build looks like. The Patriots under the Krafts BB and TB12 have a spotty history of bringing in elite free agents. This will be a fun offseason as we watch this roster go through a transformation.

Fixed it for you. Last season they brought in what, one external FA of any note which was Gibson. BB and TB12 drew a lot of really good players that would take less but not that many elite FAs. Gilmore was one, but mostly they were trades iirc.

 

[JohnJH]

It can, but the roster has been an issue since 2019. We had a 4 win team last year without Mayo as HC.

I think we can figure out what the constant problem is.

Agreed. A serious lack of talent (now except for a Franchise QB and one #1 Shut-down CB) is indeed a problem. The Coaching Staff (except for AVP, who I would have no problem keeping strictly as a QB Coach) will continue to be a serious problem no matter how much the talent is upgraded. As we've seen throughout the history of the game, a bad (or at least inferior to its opponent's) coaching staff can loose with a highly talented roster. Mayo absolutely has to go! I've been consistent since he was announced as HC that he wasn't qualified to be a HC of any NFL Team (although of course I hoped that he proved me wrong, as I'm a Fan of the Patriots first and foremost). I'm also dubious regarding Wolf and Company. I've been a fan since the Mid-70's, so I've seen a thing or two in such area's.

 

[PatsFan2]

Just a question....other than the Krafts , who has final say on the coaches re keep or fire , is it Mayo or Wolf

I'm gonna guess Wolf.

 

[PatsFan2]

Agreed. A serious lack of talent (now except for a Franchise QB and one #1 Shut-down CB) is indeed a problem. The Coaching Staff (except for AVP, who I would have no problem keeping strictly as a QB Coach) will continue to be a serious problem no matter how much the talent is upgraded. As we've seen throughout the history of the game, a bad (or at least inferior to its opponent's) coaching staff can loose with a highly talented roster. Mayo absolutely has to go! I've been consistent since he was announced as HC that he wasn't qualified to be a HC of any NFL Team (although of course I hoped that he proved me wrong, as I'm a Fan of the Patriots first and foremost). I'm also dubious regarding Wolf and Company. I've been a fan since the Mid-70's, so I've seen a thing or two in such area's.

I am sure AVP is currently packing his bags as we speak: he's getting the first axe. IF you don't know just AXE somebody.

 

[PatsFan2]

Roster areas in need of improvement

1. Left tackle - Protect Maye at all costs
2. Wide Receiver - Give Maye something other than average to work with
3. Right tackle - see 1; adding two quality tackles will help the less than stellar guard play
4. Defensive tackle - teams run all over us. Need a dude to pair with Barmore
5. Defensive end/Edge - Put some pressure on opposing QBS
6. Coverage linebacker - anyone else tired of seeing Tavai dropping into coverage?
7. CB2 - Paired up with Gonzo, will make the safeties job easier
8. Center - can't rely on David Andrews health wise
9. Safety - Dugger has fallen off the cliff
10. K - Slye is a journeyman... we need another Gostkowski

Tavai in Coverage.

 

[Real fan 02]

I am sure AVP is currently packing his bags as we speak: he's getting the first axe. IF you don't know just axe somebody.

Well he can finally move up like the Jeffersons elsewhere and get out of the Foxboro motor lodge.

 

[Real fan 02]

Tavai in Coverage.

Have a better chance of getting 4 numbers on mass cash than Tavai covering anyone.

 

[JohnJH]

I am sure AVP is currently packing his bags as we speak: he's getting the first axe. IF you don't know just axe somebody.

That they'll sacrifice (with or without reason) anyone of the staff EXCEPT for Mayo, is a given. That being said, as Fans (especially reasonably knowledgeable ones/Fans for decades), that the Kraft's believe that the majority of the aforementioned will be appeased by it, will show how little they care about the fan base (those that actually pay the bills).