Patriots: 4 biggest holes New England needs to fill this offseason
By Jack Long
3. Tight end
For an organization that has put such an emphasis on the position, it has been weird to watch this team play without a dynamic tight end. The TE position has become more and more coveted (wonder why) in the NFL lately, and the Patriots have struggled to address the issue since the loss of our beloved Gronk.
Devin Asiasi looked like he could be the answer after being drafted out of UCLA last spring, but an injury-riddled rookie season kept him from getting any sort of momentum going with the Patriots offense. He showed some promise in his Week 17 performance against the Jets, but isn’t a guy Bill Belichick is likely to trust in a full-time role next season.
Which brings us to…
2. Wide receiver
Poor Cam Newton had no one to throw to last season (not that he could even get the ball there). With Julian Edelman a question mark to return, the Patriots have some serious work to do to revamp this wide receiver corps.
The Patriots need a true No. 1 guy along with increased depth at the position.
The Patriots’ first priority has to be to find the future No. 1 target for whoever is the incoming signal caller in New England. Belichick will either have to spend in a loaded free agent receiver market or hope that one of the top-ranked receiver prospects falls to them at their No. 15 slot.
One stud won’t be enough, though. With one of least-skilled groups in the NFL, the Patriots have to bring in several depth options.