Jerod Mayo says what every Patriots fan is thinking about the 2024 roster

Among the vast criticism the Patriots have faced this season is the undeniable fact that the roster lacks serious depth, which has inevitably led to several issues on game day. A piling up of injuries to some of their most trusted players has plagued their year, forcing them to dip into practice squads and the waiver wire around the league in hopes of making up for their absences.

In some areas, it has worked, like picking up Ben Brown to replace injured David Andrews at center, but other parts of the team have greatly suffered, most notably on defense. It has resulted in poor performances across the board, with little availability for the new coaching staff to make the needed moves to improve their chances on game day.

Some of that can be blamed on a mostly lackluster free agency earlier this year, plus the new regime's continued insistence on having players perform out of their natural position.

It has repeatedly raised questions regarding the roster's stance to Jerod Mayo and the rest of the coaches. The head coach addressed this during his weekly appearance on WEEI this past Monday, echoing much of what Patriots fans have been saying all season long.

Jerod Mayo's blunt response is nothing more than an honest view on his current situation

The weaknesses of the Patriots are on full display every Sunday, making their lack of roster depth stand out like a sore thumb. That likely prompted one question for Mayo on Monday following the team's brutal loss to the Dolphins in Week 12.

Although some are not loving Mayo's response, it's an honest and fair answer and should be taken as such. If he tried to convince us of the opposite, that would be more of an issue.

READ MORE: Jerod Mayo's not-so-subtle jab at Bill Belichick isn't so controversial

This point becomes even more critical when considering the offensive line's performance last Sunday. Starting left tackle Vederian Lowe racked up four pre-snap penalties, three of which were false starts, but the Patriots have nobody on the roster to replace him, hence Mayo's response.

The defensive line can also be called into question, particularly the pass rush, which has been almost non-existent since the first few weeks of the season. While Keion White has created a lot of pressure, he has fallen off from his impressive start when he was projected to total a record number of sacks on the year.

But, similar to the offensive line situation, there is a severe lack of depth for the defensive line to work with, especially with Ja'Whaun Bentley out for the season and now Deatrich Wise Jr. dealing with an injury.

It's difficult to understand why Mayo's statement is being viewed as controversial since he's saying what fans have been saying all along. Not to mention, it's obvious the team is lacking depth. It would be more controversial if he name-dropped players he wanted to bench or if he tried to suggest there were no issues with the roster; that would be something to be concerned about.

Instead, he's not saying anything out of line and is aware of their situation. He didn't inherit a fantastic roster, and Eliot Wolf's conservative approach to free agency didn't help. The hope is that won't be the case in 2025, as the Patriots are expected to have some of the most cap space to use (again) and have plenty of holes to fill.

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