3 moves Patriots need to make after hiring Jerod Mayo as head coach

It has been decided. The New England Patriots passed the torch to Jerod Mayo as the team's next head coach. Bill Belichick's tenure was up two days ago, and in a hurry, the team replaced him.

So, what's next?

Sure, Mayo is going to be getting settled into his new role for a little while, but the NFL offseason waits for no one. Coaching staffs will be filled out. Interviews will come in flurries. And, pretty soon, we could start seeing plans take shape in terms of possible trades and personnel moves.

With Mayo in charge, now, the Patriots should put their focus into three key moves atop all others, this offseason.

1. Put plan in place to secure top-tier pass rusher

The Patriots finished the 2023 season as the fifth-worst team in terms of total sacks. A season after the Josh Uche breakout, he didn't quite put on the same type of show. This is a team that is severely lacking a top-tier pass rusher.

Obviously, Matthew Judon missing the majority of the season didn't help. But, going into the 2024 season, this team needs another upper-echelon type of pass rusher. Here are a few key players' sack numbers from this last year:

Josh Uche: 3.0

Anfernee Jennings: 1.5

Deatrich Wise: 4.5

Jahlani Tavai: 1.0

Keion White: 1.0

That's not going to cut it. And, it shows a lack of depth at the position with Judon sidelined. This rookie class is very deep at pass rusher, and the Patriots could end up finding a starting-caliber player in either of the first two days.