New England Patriots: 3 Potential Breakout Players on Offense in 2016
By Hal Bent
Looking back at the 2015 season for the New England Patriots there is much to analyze and review in regards to the team’s performance. While injuries robbed the Patriots of play-makers on offense with wide receiver Brandon LaFell sidelined with a foot injury early and then running back Dion Lewis and wide receiver Julian Edelman out in the second half of the season, the team limped into the playoffs desperately trying to keep enough healthy blockers in front of quarterback Tom Brady and hoping attrition did not eat away at their Super Bowl chances.
While the Patriots fell just short of the Super Bowl, their loss to Denver in the AFC Championship game highlighted their shortcomings on offense in the second half of the season. New England ran out to a 7-0 start to the season only scoring under 30 points once–in the season opener against the Steelers. When Lewis went down with a torn ACL, it was the first domino to fall in the downfall of the 2015 season.
In the final nine games of the season, the Patriots topped 28 points just once–against the Tennessee Titans in week 15. With just one win in the final two games needed to secure the all-important home field advantage, New England lost to the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins while scoring only 30 points combined in the two games. Those offensive problems manifested again against a strong Denver defense in the AFC Championship game as New England was held to 18 points.
What the Patriots needed during the season was someone from their backup skill position players to step up and make a difference. Instead, New England saw their offense crumble and their defense spring leaks as they limped into Denver. James White showed promise as a receiving running back and wide receiver Keshawn Martin had a few moments, but the rest of the offense (LaFell, free agent running back Steven Jackson, practice squad running back Joey Iosefa, tight end Scott Chandler, and practice squad wide receiver Chris Harper) struggled.
On the offensive line, injuries to starting tackles Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer played a key role in slowing the offense. Add in injuries to their top backups at tackle Marcus Cannon and street free agent LaAdrian Waddle, and the Patriots were activating center Bryan Stork from injured reserve and having to use him at right tackle. At guard, the young players missed veteran Ryan Wendell’s steadying presence and then rookie Tre’ Jackson missed much of the final quarter of the season,
With starting running back LeGarrette Blount still a free agent, Chandler released (and his knee injury likely to end his career) and LaFell let go as well, the Patriots have reloaded in the offseason adding wide receivers Chris Hogan and Nate Washington, tight ends Martellus Bennett and Clay Harbor, running back Donald Brown, and re-signing tackle LaAdrian Waddle and trading for guard Jonathan Cooper.
However, with all these moves the Patriots are still going to need some players who were not on the roster last year make an impact. Last year at MusketFire.com I highlighted Scott Chandler, James White, and Aaron Dobson as three offensive players who would likely need to step-up in 2015 for the offense (the link to last years’ article is here). Looking back at how bad a miss those three selections were (from my perspective and the New England front office), here is a look at three players who could be breakout players on offense in 2016:
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