Patriots Off-Season Reset

As much as I want to fight the desire to turn the page to the offseason and enjoy the afterglow of the Super Bowl win as much as possible, the NFL schedule is relentless.

The scouting combine is just a few weeks away then comes free agency the draft, OTAs and once again, training camp.

We knew this offseason was coming whether the Pats won the Super Bowl or not. Trey Flowers is still the biggest piece of the puzzle, but how much have things changed since my in-season glance ahead now that the Pats are Super Bowl 53 champs?

Here’s a look at how the playoff run might’ve altered my outlook.

1. Does Anything Matter? Yes, there are some big pieces to figure out but after the last few seasons especially will it really matter? As long the Pats have Belichick, Brady and Edelman they’ve got a real shot at a seventh Super Bowl. Yes, I’d love to keep Trey Flowers and Trent Brown was outstanding in helping bring a new level of dominant running to the team. But there are candidates to replace either if both head to greener pastures.
2. Dietrich Wise really came on down the stretch and was a disruptive force in the Super Bowl. There are also three interesting depth players behind him — Derek Rivers (81 snaps), Ufomba Kalmalu (32 snaps) and Keionta Davis (185 snaps). Not to say any are the next Trey Flowers but the cupboard isn’t totally empty. John Simon is another edge player who played well mostly as a pass rusher. He could be an easy re-sign I bet and could be the best of the bunch though I’m not sure how much early down work he’s capable of. Maybe he blossoms like Nink did into a do-it-all guy. Flowers was the only defensive lineman who played more than 50 percent of the snaps and he was all the way up at 70 percent.
3. The secondary is pretty much set with the development of J.C. Jackson, Keion Crossen and Duke Dawson one of the most exciting things to watch. Even with that depth I’d be happy to welcome back Jason McCourty, keeping the strength of the defense fully intact.
4. Defensive tackle is a spot I’d love to see quality draft capital invested in. I’m not sure Malcom Brown or Danny Shelton will be back, leaving two important roster spots to fill. Flowers and Brown might get most of then FA attention, but this is the more critical spot to fill with talent.
5. Both kicker Stephen Gostkowski and punt Ryan Allen coming up at the same time is another interesting situation. You never know what the Patriots will do at two positions that were vital to the Super Bowl win. Allen’s punting job and Gostkowski’s final clutch field goal were key and now both will likely be looking for significant deals. I am always prepared for the Pats to just turnover both positions. Definitely taking a look at the specialist draft class.
6. I’m really on the fence with Gronk retiring. Yesterday on Foxboro & Friends I said I expect he’ll retire but a day later I’m waffling. If Tom puts in another year why not just go for it one last time with him? If Gronk does retire I’m not sure what I’ll miss more, his football skills or the presence he brought to the team. He makes everything more fun and his career has been electric from the moment it started. I’ll miss that a lot.
7. I don’t think the Patriots get much credit for all the wide receivers they threw at the wall last year. There were a bunch of former first rounders, including Dorsett, Patterson, Kenny Britt not to mention Jordan Matthews, Eric Decker briefly then Josh Gordon in season. The Pats did just about everything they could do to replenish the receiver pool. In the end they were stuck leaning on Edelman so there’s no question they must continue to be aggressive in bringing guys in. Braxton Berrios development would be very much welcome to take some heat off Edelman like Amendola did. Or who knows, maybe they bring Amendola back on a cheap deal. I’d be more than fine with that.
8. Yes, at this point they should be throwing young quarterbacks against the wall just like they do with receivers. Take advantage of every year you can with Brady in the building setting the example. The QBs of the draft will very much be under the microscope.
9. The return of the second year players from injury will be a boost by themselves. Ja’whaun Bentley and Isaiah Wynn are two players who should step right back in and help the starters. Where Wynn goes is a big question. No one wants to replace Thuney, Andrews or Mason so it might be left tackle or bust. Though I’d love to keep Brown and use Wynn for a year as a swing back up.
10. The coaching changeover at defensive coordinator, Greg Schiano enters ala Dean Pees in 2006, and wide receivers coach, with Chad O’Shea following Brian Flores to Miami, is not insignificant. Especially with changes coming at defensive end and possibly wide receiver. There’s no question, the 2019 will be a much different team than the one we saw Sunday.