With Tom Brady gone, Patriots should continue youth movement

The New England Patriots are noticeably younger today than they were a year ago — and they should keep up with that ongoing transition.

At the start of last season, the New England Patriots ranked dead-last in the NFL in terms of having the oldest roster of all 32 teams (average player age of 27.6). As of March 23, that number has since fallen to 26.2, which is about the 10th-oldest roster in the league, per Nick O’Malley of MassLive.com.

That change can mostly be chalked up to the departures of 42-year-old Tom Brady and 36-year-old Stephen Gostkowski over the past month.

With those two franchise icons gone, the Patriots have just seven players on their active roster who are above 30: James Develin (31), Marcus Cannon (31), Patrick Chung (32), Devin McCourty (32), Jason McCourty (32), Julian Edelman (33), and Matthew Slater (34).

All seven of those players figure to be major contributors to this squad in 2020, so it makes sense to keep them around. In the long run though, the Patriots could definitely benefit from getting younger across the board.

It just seems like the right time to do it. Losing Gostkowski — and particularly losing a legend like Brady — should signal a natural shift within the New England organization.

If this team is competitive in 2020 and makes some noise in the playoffs, then perhaps the Pats keep the band together a bit longer.

But if they should stumble down the stretch and find themselves utterly usurped in the AFC by talented young squads like the Chiefs, Ravens, and Titans — not to mention the young rosters in the Patriots’ own division (Jets, Dolphins, Bills) — then it may be time to tear the roster down further and start up a rebuild/full-blown youth movement.

Bill Belichick has found some promising young stars on all sides of the ball over the past few drafts.

Jake Bailey (22) looks like he’ll have a long career as the Patriots punter, and fellow 22-year-olds N’Keal Harry and Joejuan Williams could be pillars on New England’s offense and defense for years to come, if all goes according to plan with the former first and second-round draft picks from last April.

Linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley (23) looks like the most logical candidate to replace the departed Kyle Van Noy this season. Jarrett Stidham (23) is vying to become Tom Brady’s permanent successor this year, and he’ll be relying on offensive players Damien Harris, Jakobi Meyers, and Gunner Olszewski (all 23 years old) to help him do just that in 2020.

Cornerback J.C. Jackson, defensive end Chase Winovich, and offensive tackle Isaiah Wynn are the most impressive up-and-coming Patriots players who check in at 24 years of age, while starting running back Sony Michel is the main New England contributor in the 25 age group.

Right guard Shaq Mason and cornerback Jonathan Jones are both 26 and established starters for the Pats on offense and defense, respectively. Mason’s fellow offensive lineman, Joe Thuney and David Andrews, are both 27. No. 28 on the Patriots — James White — also happens to be 28, along with situational defensive players Shilique Calhoun and Terrence Brooks.

Finally, the Patriots have a slew of starting, big-name players who are either 29 or 30. The 29-year-olds include Pro Bowl corner Stephon Gilmore, running back Rex Burkhead, special teams ace Justin Bethel, and defensive end/linebacker John Simon. Receiver Mohamed Sanu Sr., linebacker Dont’a Hightower, defensive tackle Lawrence Guy, and running back Brandon Bolden all round out the 30-year-olds.