Patriots News: Jayden Daniels, Matthew Judon, Ty Montgomery and Rex Ryan

Check out all the latest buzz surrounding the New England Patriots as they wait for the slate of games of Week 14 to finish up to prepare for their next matchup with the Chiefs.

Kirk Herbstreit believes LSU's Jayden Daniels should be drafted by the Patriots

It may be only December with a good chunk of football left to play this NFL season, but many Patriots fans and analysts have already set their sights on the 2024 draft, mainly at the idea of the team finally getting their chance at a high first-round quarterback.

Through the countless mock drafts published over the last several weeks, the player that appears favorited to land in New England if they end the season with the second overall pick is Drake Maye, a quarterback out of the University of North Carolina. Outside of Caleb Williams, he is one of the top projected at the position, and the consensus believes he would be the perfect fit for the Patriots.

For the most part, the hypothetical decision by Bill Belichick to take the 6′ 4″ quarterback is widely approved since the position feels like the one needing the most improvement. But Thursday Night Football commentator Kirk Herbstreit isn't so sure, as he revealed he believes newly crowned Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels would be an excellent fit for a new-look offense in New England.

Winning the coveted award will improve Daniels' stock, as he is currently not considered a top 5 pick. But that can change after the combine, and the Patriots should be able to select him if they agree with Herbstreit about his fit.

He would bring a different set of skills to their quarterback room, one they allegedly liked in 2018 when evaluating Lamar Jackson heading into the draft. Belichick's decision not to draft the dual-threat quarterback continues to haunt him, and they were rumored to be considering trading for Jackson when he wanted out of Baltimore earlier this year.

Daniels could be the way for Belichick to right his wrongs with Jackson and would get the offense on track with the current direction NFL quarterbacks are going in, mainly that of being more mobile.

Matthew Judon appears impressed with Bailey Zappe in Instagram video

Despite the alleged possibility of returning to the field this season after suffering a torn bicep injury against the Cowboys early this season, Matthew Judon continues to watch his team from the comfort of his home and appeared to enjoy the Patriots' recent win over the Steelers on Thursday night.

The franchise record-breaking linebacker posted a video to his Instagram during the matchup, showing his enthusiastic support for Bailey Zappe, who had a memorable first-half performance against a tough defensive front in Pittsburgh.

Although some fans weren't so thrilled with the win potentially impacting their standing in the draft, Judon's excitement was felt by many others who were happy to see the offense show some life after looking beyond tired during their five-game losing streak.

Whether his show of support for Zappe means anything beyond just applauding a teammate performing well on a short week is unknown. Some may believe it's an indication of how he feels about Mac Jones, but this should just be taken for what it is: acknowledging a good performance by a young quarterback under interesting circumstances and taking advantage of his opportunity.

Ty Montgomery was seemingly punished with release for performance vs. the Steelers

The day after the Patriots won their first game since beating the Bills in Week 7, Bill Belichick made a roster move that wasn't too surprising but seemed to be a result of the game.

With Rhamondre Stevenson out with an injury, Ezekiel Elliott was made the primary running back, which led to Kevin Harris' elevation from the practice squad and Ty Montgomery's increased usage. Fortunately, Elliott carried the ground game on his back and recorded his best game since joining the team this summer, allowing the others to take a backseat for the night.

That allowed Montgomery to be used as a receiver in the game, recording just one reception for 17 yards on the night. But he ran into some issues while working with the special teams on Thursday night, missing a key tackle, which led to the blocked punt.

It allowed the Steelers to take over at the Patriots' 26-yard line and score a touchdown within 90 seconds to bring the score within three points. It was a massive miss by Montgomery that could have been worse had the Patriots not won, but it seems Belichick didn't view it that way and released the running back/receiver on Friday morning.

It doesn't feel like a worthy punishment, but they did claim linebacker Christian Elliss off waivers, which could be more of the reason why Montgomery was released. But the timing of it still feels too coincidental not to be connected.

Rex Ryan is taking his long-awaited victory laps around Bill Belichick

The illustrious career of Bill Belichick has been watched by all NFL fans for the last 50+ years, with a lot of focus on what he has accomplished since signing on the dotted line to become the New England Patriots head coach in 2000.

Other than signing a quarterback who eventually went on to be the greatest of all time while representing the AFC in nine Super Bowls and winning six, Belichick has accomplished a lot of incredible feats during his lengthy career, much of which could only be dreamt about for most other coaches.

It's something that made all those jealous of what he has accomplished foam at the mouth when Tom Brady announced he was leaving New England and signing with the Bucs in 2020. The naysayers couldn't wait to see the head coach exposed for being a "fraud" without the quarterback on his team, who went on to win another championship in Tampa while the Patriots have floundered in the years since.

Now that they're going through their worst season since 1992, longtime foes like Rex Ryan are chomping at the bit to finally take a victory lap around Belichick, as if it strips him of all that he's done or the respect he has earned.

The failed former Jets coach made sure to get his punches in after the Patriots lost to the Giants in Week 12, stooping as low as stating that Brady was the reason for all the success during the team's dynasty and claiming how Belichick has fared since as some sort of "gotcha."

It's clearly something he couldn't wait to finally be able to say, despite the fact it doesn't make his career any better or Belichick's any worse. But it just goes to show how people genuinely do pray for others' downfalls, no matter who you are or what you've accomplished; people are waiting in the wings to dance on your grave, and Ryan is the ringleader of that this season.

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