Five Thoughts Ahead of Patriots/Eagles: Patriots Still Have Big Questions to Answer
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Some final thoughts ahead of tonight:
1) Heading into tonight’s game against the Eagles, Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said earlier this week that rookie Drake Maye will see more time than he did last week after playing in just one offensive series against Carolina.
Maye continued to take some small steps forward this week, but he remains a work in progress. Through the first couple of weeks, Maye has had flashes during camp, but it’s probably safe to say that any type of quarterback competition with Jacoby Brissett hasn’t really materialized up to this point.
At the same time, one key factor in this has been that Brissett has gotten the lion’s share of the reps with the team’s top offensive line. That’s left Maye trying to execute plays with a group that is essentially just increasing his level of difficulty. Between Atonio Mafi’s erratic snaps at center and the inconsistent protection, it’s made executing difficult and that was clearly apparent during the club’s final two-minute drive against Philadelphia during their joint practice session on Tuesday.
Mayo said last week that he wants Maye to see action behind that first offensive line group, so that’s also probably a signal to those guys that they’ll be out there a little longer tonight. With the regular season rapidly approaching, these are precious snaps for the rookie, who will likely not see many quality reps once the season kicks off. Given the practice restrictions, there just won’t be enough time, which is why these final two games will be so important.
2) The move at center with Mafi is probably the most puzzling, but not for the reasons you would think. No one necessarily blames the coaching staff when it comes to trying to add depth in an area where they’re clearly lacking, given David Andrews’ age. But the problem has really been keeping Maye, rather than Bailey Zappe or Joe Milton, working behind him.
It’s bad enough Maye is trying to evaluate things in front of him while also working on his fundamentals, footwork, etc. Nothing messes with any of that more than things going awry, which is something that shouldn’t be happening in a relatively controlled environment like practice. The rookie spends every snap behind Mafi worrying about how the ball is going to come out from the center, and it just feels like an unnecessary added obstacle.
Again, Mafi’s a decent interior lineman and a good depth player. However, the fact he’s learning on the fly at the expense of Maye’s development is probably the most questionable decision the new coaching staff has made to this point and it just doesn’t make much sense.
3) There continues to be discussion about the Patriots and free agency, with many believing the club didn’t do enough to address key areas this offseason.
The Calvin Ridley situation has been discussed ad nauseam, with the recent Brandon Aiyuk negotiations following a similar trend. The fact is and continues to be that none of the top names had any interest in coming to New England, and it’s not that hard to figure out. Packing up and coming to play in miserable weather with a coach that no one outside of this region has heard of and playing with a backup quarterback and possibly a rookie QB who wasn’t expected to be ready to play until at least late in the season isn’t exactly enticing.
Many believe that money talks, and that’s true to a certain extent. But all you have to do is look at the situation with Deshaun Watson in Cleveland when it comes to seeing first-hand what it truly takes to convince a player to come to a franchise they have zero desire to go to.
You end up having to obscenely overpay and guarantee nearly all of their contract while assuming all of the risk if the player doesn’t thrive.
That deal was so insane that it ended up having a ripple effect league-wide that was felt the following offseason when Lamar Jackson hit the market. Jackson felt he was a better player than Watson – and rightfully so – and deserved a similar deal, which never materialized. Many felt there was collusion involved, but it really came down to the fact the owners clearly believed Watson’s deal was so insane that none of them wanted to set a similar precedent. Not to mention the fact every new deal affects future negotiations with that player’s peers both in free agency and within a team’s own roster.
But when it comes to truly giving a player a deal too good to pass up, that was probably the best example of the lengths a bad team might have to go to in order to land a top-tier free agent. Those players have all the leverage and typically have enough suitors where even similar or slightly more money won’t sway them.
Still, credit Eliot Wolf for holding his ground and avoiding the pitfalls that typically come with those situations. At this point, the Patriots instead have a young nucleus to build around and an encouraging performance in 2024, regardless of their final record, might be enough to start to sway some of those guys next March.
Mayo actually mentioned this earlier in the week coming off their latest attempt at trying to acquire San Francisco’s Brandon Aiyuk.
“We’re always trying to get better. I think Aiyuk is still in San Francisco right now, and some other teams,” said Mayo. “He didn’t go to some other teams as well.”
“What I will say is, look, when we start to win games, guys will want to come here. When we start to establish the culture, establish the roster, I think guys will be excited to come back.”
4) Left tackle continues to be an issue, which will again be an area to watch tonight.
Vederian Lowe will likely get the starting nod, with Lowe so far being the player who has anchored that spot as they try building continuity with the group that appears to be what the staff believes is its “best five” guys.
Lowe struggled last week at times and had one play where he was blown back and Maye took a leg-whip, with his man coming dangerously close to the rookie’s knees. So far, it’s not an idea situation, but seeing how he fares tonight will be interesting to see.
It’s obviously a tough situation, but it’s not like there were a lot of options in free agency. The club obviously signed Chukwuma Okorafor, and it’s possible he could be a factor despite having moved to right tackle during camp.
Tyron Smith is a name that was mentioned a fair amount but he’s missed a fair amount of time thus far in New York, which follows up his reputation out in Dallas when it came to him being an oft-injured player.
Smith’s only real contribution to this point has seemingly been as a mentor for draft pick Olu Fashanu, who by all accounts seems to be having a good preseason. According to reports, Fashanu’s been getting work at both tackle spots as the Jets try to establish some depth.
Former Patriot Trent Brown skipped the offseason workouts in Cincinnati and started the year off on PUP for the Bengals. He actually only participated in his first full practice with his new team this week. Mekhi Becton was another name, but he was a mess with the Jets and the Eagles instead signed him and he’s since moved to guard.
As a result, there just weren’t a lot of impact players available that could have solved their problem at left tackle. The trade of Matthew Judon at least gives them an additional third-round pick to use as currency next April to attack this position further, but for 2024, they’ll have to hope that either Caedan Wallace or Okorafor can ultimately replace Lowe, with Mike Onwenu feeling like he’ll inevitably be called upon at some point to anchor the right side.
In terms of who would replace Onwenu at guard, the Patriots ended last season with Jake Andrews at left guard and Sow at right guard, but obviously Andrews is gone for the year. So far this preseason Sow has been at left guard, but rookie Layden Robinson is a player who could potentially be a factor inside, as several scouting reports had him as a starting-caliber player and so far, he’s had a good camp.
In the meantime, this remains a problem area that is going to be one of the more unfortunate storylines for 2024. The fact is, they’re just going to have to make the best of it this year and then really solidify it next offseason.
5) The trade of Matthew Judon to the Atlanta Falcons Wednesday night is obviously disappointing, but unfortunately, necessary. Judon, who turns 32 today, is absolutely a great player but he would be a luxury in a defense that may find itself in the same position it was in last season.
Last year’s group did an unbelievable job keeping this team in games and giving them an opportunity week in and week out, and that’s even despite Judon’s season-ending injury in Week 4 that cost him what unfortunately turned out to be the remainder of his final season with the team.
Judon was on a tear before going down, having amassed four sacks, nine quarterback hits, and a safety. His loss is going to hurt, but the third-round pick they’re getting in return may end up becoming a key piece of currency next April if they use it to move up and address a position like perhaps an offensive tackle.
In terms of who might replace him, it’s tough to say. Keion White, Anfernee Jennings, and Joshua Uche are among three names that come to mind, with White already having been discussed as a player who might have been poised for a bigger role there this season.
He was an outstanding teammate and personality, and it’s tough to see him leave. But his age was likely a big factor, and the fact that they got what they did in return feels like a massive win for a team that needs every building block it can acquire to build for the future.
For now, we’ll see how things play out when the team takes the field against the Eagles at 7:00pm at Gillette Stadium.
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