March is finally here. This time last year, the New England Patriots were gearing up for a groundbreaking free agent spending spree.
While fans shouldn’t expect a similar magnitude of roster turnover this time around, the front office undoubtedly feels the pressure to make upgrades after the team was steamrolled by the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs.
The discrepancy in talent was already a steep obstacle to overcome, but it became clear that the Patriots lacked the necessary depth and speed at premium positions to go on a run, let alone make it past Wild Card Weekend.
When push came to shove, a number of players either underperformed or weren’t even in a position to help the team. You could make the case that up to eight players aren’t deserving of another season with the Patriots in 2022, but we managed to narrow the list down to four.
So, without further ado …
These 4 Patriots don’t deserve another season in 2022.
4. Anfernee Jennings
With Dont’a Hightower and Ja’Whaun Bentley set to hit free agency, the Patriots have burning questions to address at linebacker this offseason. While they’ll likely look to add experience regardless, it’s pretty alarming none of Anfernee Jennings, Chase Winovich or Josh Uche are ready to step into a prominent role.
The fact Jennings has been the biggest letdown of that trio speaks volumes. A late third-round pick out of Alabama back in 2020, Jennings played 14 games as a rookie and totaled 20 tackles and one QB hit over 292 snaps.
In need of a big offseason entering Year 2, Jennings showed up to camp out of shape and spent the entirety of 2021 on injured reserve. Given their shortage of linebackers and his raw physical traits, the Patriots might be reluctant to give up on Jennings, but make no mistake, he’s given the team no reason to keep him around.
Belichick and Co. have been a disaster investing Day 2 draft picks at linebacker and it might behoove them to look into one of Devin Lloyd or Nakobe Dean in the first round this April to avoid making the same mistake again.
3. Devin Asiasi/Dalton Keene
Bill Belichick has made a number of questionable draft picks during his reign as the Patriots’ de facto general manager, but the decision to use a pair of third-round choices on Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene in 2020 might be his worst yet.
In two years since the 2020 draft, the tight end tandem has combined to post five catches for 55 yards. They’ve played a combined 16 games overall and played just one game (12 offensive snaps) this past season alone.
Asiasi and Keene had no business making the 2021 roster out of training camp and the preseason and we’re hard-pressed to envision a scenario in which they’re on the team for the start of OTAs and mandatory minicamp. Even if they last that long, they shouldn’t make it beyond the first round of roster cuts.
At the end of the day, the Patriots shouldn’t have been in a position to sign both Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith to big contracts last offseason. One or the other would’ve been justifiable, but Belichick no doubt believed that at least one of Asiasi or Keene would have shown enough by now to be regular contributor.
As we sit here today, they might not even belong in the NFL.
2. Chase Winovich
The Sony Michel trade proved New England is no stranger to cutting bait with players entering the final year of their rookie contracts, and it feels like Chase Winovich could join that group in some capacity this offseason.
Winovich was the team’s sack leader a season ago, but an undisclosed injury cost him most of training camp and the preseason. Already behind the eight ball after the Patriots’ historic offseason spending spree, Winovich found himself buried on the depth chart and played just 78 snaps in the first six games.
From there, the 2019 third-rounder suffered a hamstring injury that shelved him for a month and he logged just 35 defensive snaps for the rest of the season after he returned in Week 11. When all was said and done, he played more on special teams (161 snaps) than on defense (113 snaps) and didn’t register any sacks.
There’s no denying Winovich’s ability to generate pressure, but his limitations against the run make him more of a situational pass-rusher.
The Michigan product was a surprise inactive for the Patriots’ playoff loss to Buffalo and he just feels like a player who’s run his course in New England. At the very least, though, he hasn’t earned another season in Foxborough.
1. N’Keal Harry
Patriots Nation has tried giving N’Keal Harry the benefit of the doubt, but players, let alone former first-round picks, only get so many chances to prove themselves in the NFL before their time runs out and teams give up on their potential.
That’s precisely the case with Harry, who’s managed just 57 catches for less than 600 yards and four touchdowns in three seasons. For anyone curious, that’s an average of 1.8 receptions for 18.1 yards per game.
On top of being non-existent as a receiver, Harry has struggled with injuries early in his career. The former college star has played 33 (18 starts) of a possible 49 regular season games. While most of those absences can be attributed to injury, at least a handful of them were the result of him being a healthy scratch.
In Week 17 vs Jacksonville, Harry was benched in favor of second-year pro and practice squad stash Kristian Wilkerson. In a clear sign the Patriots need to end the Harry era, Wilkerson posted four catches for 42 yards and two TDs.
While Harry has developed into a solid run blocker, that won’t be enough to save his bacon. The bottom line is he’s failed to establish chemistry with three different quarterbacks (Tom Brady, Cam Newton and Mac Jones) all the while becoming a part-time player on one of the worst WR corps in the league.
2 free agents (besides JC Jackson) Patriots can’t afford to lose
Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots need to figure out how to hold on to both Devin McCourty and Trent Brown this offseason.