The New England Patriots will surely be in the market for a new quarterback in 2024, but what about the other huge questions that this roster has? What else does the team have to fix on their roster? Well, on offense, a stud wide receiver is necessary. Some youth at tight end would be nice, and some long-term clarity on the offensive line is a must.
Defensively, who runs with Christian Gonzalez going forward? What about the pass rush? Does the team try and bring back Josh Uche and Matthew Judon next year? This roster has some serious blemishes and a ton of uncertainty. The QB is obviously the most important position on the roster, and that will likely take the top headlines.
But beyond that, what other non-QB questions with the Patriots have to answer?
3 non-quarterback questions the Patriots must answer next offseason
Where do the New England Patriots find consistency at wide receiver?
Well, there are some names that are projected to be on the free agent market this coming offseason. The most coveted one will be Tee Higgins, who is a sidekick to Ja'Marr Chase in Cincinnati. Higgins likely wants to go to a place where he will be the unquestioned WR1 and will also make as much money as he can get.
Fortunately, the Patriots can offer both of those things. They have plenty cap space to be able to offer him a very lucrative contract, and they don't have anyone else on the roster who is close to being as good as Higgins. This would be a win-win for both sides, but you never know, a team could outbid the Patriots. New England could also turn to the 2024 NFL Draft to try and find a stud at the position.
The two best names appear to be Marvin Harrison Jr and Keon Coleman. Both players profile very nicely at the next level, so this could be an avenue that the team explores. Either way, they need to get this position right.
Who are the two starting tackles in 2024?
Right now, if the New England Patriots were to trot out Trent Brown and LT and Mike Onwenu at RT in 2024, they'd be in good shape. However, both are free agents in 2024 and both could easily just sign with another team. Onwenu has also played most of his career at guard, so there could be some issues with a permanent move to RT.
I think the best course of action would be to pay Onwenu whatever he wants, keep him at RT, and look to find a low-end FA at LT and pair them with a player in the 2024 NFL Draft. Donovan Smith is currently on the Kansas City Chiefs and is a FA in 2024. He could be a consistent, stabilizer at LT while the Patriots perhaps draft a LT of the future in 2024.
I don't think that's a terrible solution. They could just bring Brown back, but he's never been super consistent for the Patriots in terms of play and availability, so going to another player in the same price tier who is more reliable is a fine solution for the short-term.
The team could also not do that and just draft a tackle high in 2024, perhaps someone like Olu Fashanu or Joe Alt, who are both day one starters.
What does the pass rush look like?
Josh Uche is a free agent in 2024, and who knows if Matthew Judon is in the team's plans beyond this year. Judon is on the wrong side of 30 and might want a trade. A potentially new regime may also move on from the player in the form of a trade. Right now, the Pats being down both Uche and Judon in 2024 is a real possibility.
Rookie Keion White has played in 227 defensive snaps, which is 41%. In eight total games played, White has seven total tackles, one tackle for loss, zero sacks and zero QB hits. The Patriots need to approach this offseason as if they are totally bare-bones at the position. Having a strong pass rush is another must if an NFL team wants to win a ton.
Not generating enough pressure puts a ton more strain on the secondary. So unless a team has an elite secondary, having a below-average pass rush is not optimal. There are some pretty strong free agents along the defensive line that the Patriots could target, but at this point, I think they need to focus on getting young at as many positions as possible.
Signing someone like Danielle Hunter in 2024 doesn't really do much for this team, in my opinion. I think retaining Josh Uche and bringing in another pass rusher in the 2024 NFL Draft is the best course of action for this team to take.