New England Patriots: Quarterback named an offseason need by PFF
By Nick Ziegler
Recently Pro Football Focus released their list of needs for all 32 NFL teams. What do the New England Patriots need this offseason?
As the New England Patriots prepare for the AFC Championship Game, they are also going to be looking ahead toward the offseason. While the Patriots hope that they will be back-to-back champions, looking ahead is one of the reasons why the Patriots have been so great for the last 20 years.
This season, Tom Brady could very well be heading to another MVP award, but he is now over 40-years-old, and father time will eventually come for Brady. Coming into this season, the Patriots had two talented young quarterbacks behind Brady.
When Brady was suspended to start the 2016 season, both Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett were able to win games as starting quarterbacks. With both being valuable assets, the Patriots decided that it would be in their best interest to trade them.
In order to provide them with backup for Brady, they did sign Brian Hoyer. Since Hoyer isn’t a long-term option for Patriots, and it certainly makes a lot of sense for them to need a quarterback in the offseason. Here’s what Pro Football Focus said about the need.
"Tom Brady may still be playing like he’s in his mid-20s but will be 41 next season, and the Patriots traded both of his backups away in 2017. At some point, they need to identify that heir to the throne again, and the draft is the obvious place to do that. Someone like Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph would provide the perfect mix of talent and need to sit and learn before he takes the reins."
Seeing how the Patriots have a need at the quarterback position this offseason, they will likely address that in the NFL Draft. This year should have some talented prospects in the draft, even after the first round, and the Patriots can certainly use a pick on one of them.
With Brady still playing at a very high level, the Patriots should be fine at the quarterback position for a few more years. Using that time to develop another quarterback will be very important, as the team must groom another player like they did with Garoppolo. There is still a while to go before the NFL Draft, but the Patriots will likely be one of the teams that will be drafting a quarterback early on.