3 underrated moves the New England Patriots made in the 2023 offseason

Hiring Adrian Klemm

A lot of the offseason focus has surrounded Bill O'Brien's return, which is fair and warranted. However, the significance of hiring Adrian Klemm has been swept under the rug a bit too much.

We know the weakest side of the team has been the offense over the last few years, and several factors made it even worse in 2022.

Some of the struggles can be blamed on the players, including Mac Jones, for not performing up to their usual standards. But Bill Belichick's decision to make Matt Patricia the offensive line coach on top of taking over the duties of an offensive coordinator appeared to spread the experienced defensive mind too thin.

It doesn't take an NFL expert to know how important protection from an offensive line is on the performance of an offense in its entirety. The inconsistency from the men in charge of keeping defensemen at bay to allow a quarterback to get the football out slashes the potential for success in half, if not more.

The Patriots' 2022 offense had enough struggles; adding in unpredictable protection, a record number of before-the-snap penalties, and poor performances enough to have players benched certainly made things more difficult for everyone.

Now that Patricia is out and Klemm is in, he brings his unique experience and perspective as a former offensive tackle turned offensive line coach to New England, which will become invaluable for the offense's potential.

The even better part about it?

Klemm is a former Patriot who played under Belichick from 2000 - 2004, winning the first three Super Bowls of the dynasty era.

His familiarity with the team, the head coach, and the "Patriot way" will undoubtedly play a role in how he coaches and prepares the lineman throughout the season. It seems only fair that Belichick deserves more praise for hiring Klemm, who could become one of the better coaching hires in recent years.