The New England Patriots finished the 2023 season with a 4-13 record and missed the playoffs for the third time in 4 years. It was a very disappointing season for the Patriots in the final season under legendary head coach Bill Belichick. They started out 1-5 with their lone win coning over the Jets in a week 3 game in which they won 15 – 10 – and that was one of the ugliest all around games of the entire 2023 season – and that was how the most of the Patriots season went. Two of the defining moments of the Patriots season was when Jabrill Peppers was caught on Saquon Barkley’s mic’d up saying quote – “you’re lucky were ass” end quote and the infamous Mac Jones interception against the Colts in Germany. Aside from the improbable win over Buffalo in week 7 – it was a very forgettable year. But there was some good to the 2023 Patriots season. And it looks like they have their quarterback of the future in North Carolina’s Drake Maye. And not only that – but their defense is all around a really good unit and should get better in 2024. And that’s not cliche either – this defense is great and I think it has a combination of players who are already good – mixed with a few players who I think breakout in a big way in 2024. But the Patriots offense is a different story. And that’s a big reason why I think they’re in a very interesting situation moving forward. But how will they do this year? Well, we’re going to break everything down in today’s video. Now let’s begin
And we are starting today’s video by breaking down who the Patriots lost in free agency and who they brought back. The largest amount of money the Patriots spent on one player was bringing back offensive lineman Mike Onwenu and they brought him back on a 3 year $57 million dollar deal with $36.5 of it being guaranteed. I liked this signing a lot for New England for a few reasons. The first of course is – Onwennu is a tremendous player and he’s also very durable. He has played in at least 15 games over the past 4 years and even started all 16 games as a rookie back in 2020. He’s only missed 3 total games over the last 3 years and not only is he a good player – but it cannot be emphasized enough how beneficial it is for the team that he has legit guard tackle versatility. This isn’t a player who can play a game at guard in spot of a guy missing where he’s generally uncomfortable – before being moved back out. No. This is a player who has played over 650 snaps at right tackle over the last two years, and over 1,200 snaps at right guard. And bringing him back for $19 million a year – to me – was great for both sides. And we’ve brought this up with countless teams – but – the Patriots aren’t going to lose anybody due to the Onwenu contract. He is every bit worth it. They also retained receiver Kendrick Bourne on a 3 year $19.5 million dollar deal with only 5.5 being guaranteed, and even brought back Anfernee Jennings on a 3 year deal as well. The Kendrick Bourne signing in particular is a deal I like – for what it is – because the guarantees are so low. Meaning – if he doesn’t have a good year – then the team is protected and no harm no foul. Now the Patriots lost linebacker Mack Wilson to Arizona in free agency and I was surprised they let him walk at this price. It very easily could have been a situation where Mack didn’t really care if New England matched and that he simply wanted more playing time – but if it was a situation where the Patriots flat out didn’t match the offer – then I think that would have been a poor decision on New England’s part. Mack looked good when he played during the 2023 season but the good news for New England is – they are still fine at the inside linebacking position – which we’ll get to in a minute. They also lost big Trent Brown an offensive tackle who went to the Bengals who was good when he played – but Patriots fans were upset with Trent at times and I think it was best for both parties to split – especially after the 2023 season. One of the moves I liked a lot was the Patriots bringing in Sione Takitaki on a 2 year deal as it was good for both sides. Now to be completely honest – I was a little underwhelmed with what the Patriots did on the offensive side of the ball in free agency in terms of bringing players in – especially when they had the money they did. And I preface this with – I understand not wanting to give Mike Williams a 2 year $40 million dollar contract – especially for a player coming off of a torn ACL. Or even a guy like Darnell Mooney who signed a 3 year $39 million dollar contract with the Falcons with $26 of it being guaranteed. But prioritizing Antonio Gibson, KJ Osborn, and Austin Hooper as free agent acuquistions was certainly a choice – and not one I liked especially when this franchise knew they were going to be drafting a quarterback. That is going to be one thing I worry about for the Patriots offense in 2024 – is – the weaponry. And for that matter – the offensive line too. But one player I am glad New England brought back is Josh Uche.
Uche is a player who had a really good 2022 season as he had over 50 pressures, had 11.5 sacks and looked like a guy who could be here for years to come. Unfortunately 2023 wasn’t kind to him and he had a disappointing season relative to the season he had prior. I have always been a big Josh Uche guy even dating back to his days at Michigan – but there are some concerns with him that will continue to come up throughout his career. He is a lighter player and he is almost exclusively a pass rusher and tends to get washed out against the run. Even with that being the case – I thought New England bringing him back on a one year $3 million dollar deal was incredible value and I think we will see more of the 2022 version of Uche this year. I already like the Patriots defense entering the 2024 season – but if second year player Keion White can step up and build on what was a solid rookie season – and really come into his own as a player this year – then I’m really going to like where this unit is for several reasons. We noted Uche’s struggles against the run – and despite him personally struggling against the run – this unit overall does not. And you may be surprised to know that despite the Patriots 2023 season being as forgettable as it was – they finished 1st in yards allowed per carry and 4th in total rushing yards given up. And obviously in a year where they went 4-13 – there was going to be games where teams wanted to run the ball against this team to milk the clock and to simply take their plane home with a win – or to send New England back to Foxborough. But – this team allowed 150 rushing yards just once in all of 2023 and that was against the Jets in week 18 – which was mostly to Breece Hall of all players. And even within that game – the Jets were just 8/20 when passing the ball for 70 yards. The week 18 game between the Jets and Patriots last year was extremely forgettable – for obvious reasons – but this was the lone game they allowed 150 yards rushing. They actually finished 23rd in rushing attempts against as a defense – and again – finished 4th in rushing yards allowed. All of this to say – if Keion can step up this year and consistently set a hard edge and be a good run defender – like he showed at times last year – then this defense can easily be a top 10 unit. And what obviously worked against the Patriots for most of 2023 – was the inability to play complimentary football. The Patriots offense last year was absolutely atrocious – and there’s only so much the defense can do. If this offense was even top 20 – not even league average which of course would be top 16 – then I think this defense would be discussed a lot more nationally heading into the year. And this was of course – without their first round pick for most of the year in corner Christian Gonzalez. Between guys like Gonzalez and Keion White – and of course vets like Christian Barmore – I really think this defense is a great blend of having both young and experienced players. I like this unit a lot – and they had a really solid year last year when you factor in everything that was going against them.
This defense doesn’t just have a couple of guys either. Jabrill Peppers has really carved out a role for himself and he played a big role in the run defense last year being as good as it was. Bill lined him up all over the field and the results spoke for themselves. He truly is a Swiss Army knife in this defense. Kyle Digger is also a really solid safety and the big thing to remember with the 2023 Patriots – that will more than likely apply to the 2024 Patriots – is – the defense was never the problem. When your offense collectively throws 16 touchdowns to 21 interceptions and averages just 3.9 yards per carry over the course of a 17 game season – while finishing 27th in turnovers – I mean – there’s only so much you can do. Jahlani Tavai also had the best year of his career last year as he had over 100 tackles, had a few tackles for a loss, and even had a few interceptions. With Tavai specifically – he will be a player I watch throughout the 2024 season and keep tabs on him to see if 2023 was a one year wonder – or if – Tavai can have back to back good seasons. One thing that I’m sure will be brought up in the comments is the head coaching change from Bill to Jerod Mayo. I would imagine mostly everyone watching knows – but in case you don’t – Jerod played for the Patriots for 8 years and was a Super Bowl champion and a multiple time all pro. I can’t imagine as a player who played in the system and lived being a part of the Patriot way for years – is going to come in and wreck everything when he’s been a part of this for the better part of 15 years. This is a very good defense, and I think corner Christian Gonzalez steps up and becomes a significantly more known name by seasons end.
