This offseason is one full of questions and excitement for New England Patriots fans.
With reports that Bill Belichick is going to be extremely and uncharacteristically aggressive, it sounds like the Patriots are ready to take advantage of their over $60 million in cap space and significant draft capital.
This organization needs it, with more holes to fill than ever, for both currently empty positions or positional depth.
The Patriots may have surprised some teams with how competitive they remained despite their lack of talent in many areas, but that is what you get when you have the greatest coach of all time in Bill Belichick.
If you know Belichick, you know that he’s been planning out this offseason since the last snap of Week 17 and is ready for all possible scenarios.
Let’s look at the biggest holes the Patriots have to address this offseason.
4. Linebacker
Some exciting news came down the wire late last week when it was reported that prominent Patriots opt outs are set to return. On the defensive side of the ball, that news brings a couple important veterans back who will help increase leadership and depth at several positions.
Debatably, the biggest impact upon return should be that of two-time Pro Bowler and long-time Patriots stalwart Dont’a Hightower. He will join a young Patriots linebacking core that went through some growing pains this past season.
The Patriots defense is far from their biggest worry, but there is one position that could use some reinforcements.
Hightower will certainly be a boost and the young players will hopefully take a step, but it would still be nice to bring in an immediate impact guy that has experience and played in the 2021 season — potentially even in the draft if Micah Parsons slips.
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.
1. Quarterback
Apparently, you need one of these. Much like last offseason when the GOAT, aka Tom Brady, departed for the state of Florida, the Patriots are full of question marks when it comes to the quarterback position.
Cam Newton is an option to come back, but that is far from the ideal scenario with his current throwing capabilities. This offseason, QBs are moving around like nothing we’ve seen before. Word on the street is that Bill Belichick has looked into every possible QB trade scenario, which shows that this team is prioritizing an experienced passer for a team that is far from rebuilding.
There are some quality prospects available via the draft, but this team may be better set to draft and develop a quarterback in the later rounds.
What is the Patriots’ biggest need?
This question is a fairly simple one.
The Patriots defense is clearly their most capable unit (besides special teams). New England needs players to catch the ball, but first they need someone to throw it.
Once Bill Belichick finds his quarterback, all of the other chips can fall into place. Free agent pass catchers want to know whose passes they’ll be catching, and a star quarterback can attract players on all sides of the ball.
Patriots: 3 free agents that will be a total waste of money for New England
The Patriots can't be too cavalier about how they choose to spend this offseason, as going after three free agents wouldn't be the wisest move.