The New England Patriots came into the 2022 offseason looking to further upgrade the weapons around the quarterback, Mac Jones. Jones had a great rookie season, helping get the Patriots back into the playoffs as a wild card team, going 10-7.
Jones did everything that was asked of him during his rookie campaign. New England relied more heavily on their running game and defense to get victories, but when called upon, Jones did deliver.
Reads in the offense were crips and he got the ball where it needed to be. He was a very good game manager, and you can’t really ask for anything more from a rookie. Jones didn’t do anything to lose games for the Patriots, but he didn’t do much to win them with his arm either. He had only two games he threw for at least 300 yards and two that which he threw at least three touchdowns.
Getting back into the playoffs was nice, but the team will need more from Jones going forward to achieve more success in the postseason. They are hopeful that he can take that next step in his development, which is why they wanted to bring in more pass catchers.
New England spent a lot of money on wide receivers last season, bringing in Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor. They joined Jakobi Meyers and N’Keal Harry atop the depth chart. While a solid group, there aren’t any real game-changers in that quartet.
The Patriots didn’t bring in any upgrades, but there is one player that Sportsnaut believes will ultimately end up in New England; Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham is recovering from an ACL tear suffered in Super Bowl 56, so his market has been slow to develop. But, the Patriots could be the perfect match for him.
Depth-wise, New England wouldn’t need to rush him back. The receivers they currently have, in addition to Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith at tight end, should be able to handle the job early in the season. Upon his return to health, Beckham could assume the No. 1 role in this offense, something that will enable him to produce big numbers to earn a more lucrative contract next offseason.
Bill Belichick has shown a willingness to take on wide receivers who used to be stars but have fallen in tough times. Beckham would certainly fall into that category, following in the footsteps of Randy Moss, Chad Johnson and Antonio Brown.
Beckham showed he had plenty of gas left in the tank upon signing with the Rams. Now, he just has to get healthy so he can get back out on the field and produce once again.
