New England Patriots' roster: How does the offense look with DeAndre Hopkins?
The New England Patriots appear to be in the driver's seat to sign free agent WR DeAndre Hopkins. What would the offense look like with him in the mix? Honestly, the offense could potentially be elite if the Patriots were to land the All-Pro wide receiver.
Jeff Howe of The Athletic is reporting a form of optimism that the organization can sign Hopkins when he visits with the team this week. Hopkins may not be in much of a rush at all to sign, but if the Pats were to offer him a contract that he couldn't refuse this week, why would be refuse?
At the end of the day, it may end up coming down to the money side of things even though Hopkins is likely wanting to compete for a Super Bowl.
Let's look at how the offense would look with DeAndre Hopkins in the mix.
New England Patriots' roster: How does the offense look with DeAndre Hopkins?
Quarterback: Mac Jones
Mac Jones is going to be the starter of the New England Patriots when week one of the 2023 NFL season comes around unless something major happens. Jones is entering the most important year of his football career and while I am not personally high on Jones, I will admit that there does appear to be some good things going on with the offense, so perhaps this is where Jones can rebound.
Running back: Rhamondre Stevenson
Coming off of a 1,000-yard season where he averaged 5.0 yards per carry, Stevenson looks to become the bell-cow RB in the offense. With the shocking release of James Robinson, who had no guarantees on his contract, is now off the team and Stevenson is the main guy.
With Bill O'Brien historically having strong rushing attacks, this will bode well for Stevenson and Mac Jones, as a strong run game will take the pressure off of Jones some.
Wide receiver: DeAndre Hopkins, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton
If the New England Patriots were to sign DeAndre Hopkins, he'd slide in as the WR1. JuJu Smith-Schuster, a 2023 free agency addition, would be the WR2, and ideally, Tyquan Thornton would be the WR3. Thornton is entering his second season and perhaps quite a big one.
The duo of Hopkins and Smith-Schuster would be one of the better ones in the NFL. This could end up being an above-average WR core when it's all said and done, and Mac Jones would finally have some good targets to throw to.
Tight end: Hunter Henry, Mike Gesicki
Perhaps the best tight end duo in the NFL belongs to the New England Patriots with Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki. Both are extremely athletic pass catchers who could each become legitimate red-zone threats, which would be an amazing boost, as the Pats had one of the worst red-zone offenses in the NFL last year.
Having two quality starters at a position like tight end I think could be a very underrated thing that the Pats could have going for them. They're both big wide receivers in a way, so that just adds to the pass-catching threat the Patriots would have if they were able to sign DeAndre Hopkins.