Who are the core players on the New England Patriots?
The New England Patriots have a good roster, but it’s not great, and it has some holes. Who are the true core players on the team right now? This is a question that the front office may need to truly ask themselves, as team could be headed toward a rebuild if things do not improve in 2022.
If they finish with a losing record this year, that would make it two out of the last three seasons that the Patriots had a losing record in a full season, which seems unprecedented. Bill Belichick’s time as the head coach might be coming to and end, and if that’s the case, the team should consider keeping their core players around and rebuilding the rest of the roster.
But, who are the core players on the Patriots’ roster?
Core players on the New England Patriots
Trent Brown, Cole Strange, David Andrews, Mike Onwenu
I personally do not care whether the Patriots decided to stick with Mac Jones, trade a ton of picks for a quarterback, or something else, these four men are core players at the second most important position on an NFL roster.
Having four solid offensive linemen isn’t something that many teams can say they have, but New England does. None of those four are older than 30, and all have tons of talent. The right tackle spot for the team in the long-term is something to monitor, but perhaps the team could find someone to plug and play there.
Having a quality offensive line during any phase of organizational transition is key, and the Patriots should not mess with the LT, LG, C, and RG positions.
Jakobi Meyers
Jakobi Meyers will never truly be a #1 receiver, but he is darn good at what he does. He’s on pace to have his first career 1,000 yard season, after improving on his receiving yard total in each of his first three campaigns in the NFL.
He’ll be a free agent at the end of the season and I would love if New England kept him around. He is a very good WR2 option in the offense and would form a lethal duo with a true WR1.
To me, that’s it for the offense. I don’t think counting running backs as core players is smart, unless they are truly, truly elite like Derrick Henry or Jonathan Taylor. Nonetheless, the Patriots should mold their offense with these players at the center, no matter who is at quarterback or any of the other positions.
Christian Barmore and Davon Godchaux
I believe that good teams in the NFL are built from the inside out, and New England has two dogs on the inside in Christian Barmore and Davon Godchaux, who recently signed an extension. They play well against the run and can get into the backfield.
Interior defensive players, if they do their jobs well, help out the edge rushers. The Patriots would be wise to hang into these players through the primes of their careers.
Jack Jones, Kyle Dugger, Jonathan Jones
Maybe this is a hot take. Maybe not. Kyle Dugger is a dog, and we all know that. He does play a less valuable position in the NFL as a safety, but he has 180 total tackles in his career so far and does have the ability to make more of a hybrid role. He is the glue in the secondary.
Jack Jones, the 2022 rookie has played pretty well to begin his career and looks to be someone the Patriots can count on for the long-term. Jonathan Jones is another rock solid player who excels in coverage from the slot.
Even though he’s 29 years old, he’s another glue piece in the secondary and is someone the Patriots can still count on for the future.
Matthew Judon
Matthew Judon is the best player on the Patriots right now and already has 8.5 sacks in seven games, putting him on pace for about 21 sacks this season. Since signing with the Patriots before the 2021 season, Judon has 21 sacks in 24 games.
He has 40 QB hits and 21 tackles for loss, so he is clearly thriving in this system. He is in his age-30 season, but has shown no signs of slowing down, so he’s still a core player for this team.