The Patriots hit rock bottom.
The good news? They’re already positioning themselves for a rebound.
Under new coach Jerod Mayo, the Pats have overhauled an coaching staff that oversaw one of the league’s worst offenses last season. Their front office is now led by longtime outsider turned director of scouting Eliot Wolf, a former executive in Green Bay and assistant GM for the Browns. The Patriots are projected to hold the fourth-most cap space in the league heading into free agency, and are currently armed with significant draft capital, starting with the No. 3 overall pick.
But will they spend money on veterans? Will they draft a quarterback with one of their top picks? However the Pats proceed, the stakes are significant.
The franchise hasn’t won a playoff game in five years, and owner Robert Kraft said he hopes their first-round pick positions the team “beautifully” for years to come. To put the Patriots back on track, the Herald is publishing a daily series with five offseason fixes that cover the draft, free agency and coaching.
Welcome to five Patriots offseason fixes.
Turnstile turned disaster.
By itself, the Patriots’ right tackle position almost sunk the offensive line in 2022; with Isaiah Wynn, Yodny Cajuste, Marcus Cannon and Conor McDermott all seeing starts. Despite their failures, the Pats made minimal effort to patch the position permanently last offseason.
History cannot repeat itself.
The Pats will have the chance to re-sign sturdy right tackle Mike Onwenu in free agency. Onwenu is a rising talent with more than 20 career starts at right guard and right tackle, plus experience at left guard. In three of his four years as a starter, Onwenu has ranked among the highest-graded players at his position over at Pro Football Focus.
The 26-year-old will carry a hefty price tag, after stabilizing the Pats’ O-line with a successful position switch midseason. Onwenu has publicly expressed a desire to stay in New England. If the Patriots keep Onwenu via the franchise tag — a 1-year, fully guaranteed contract that retains the player at a fixed cost — he would earn $21.2 million, according to Over The Cap’s projections.
By the end of last season, Onwenu and right guard Sidy Sow formed a solid tandem on the right side of the Pats’ O-line. Both players are currently regarded as better run-blockers than pass protectors, but more time for Onwenu — a guard turned tackle — and Sow, a fourth-round rookie last season, should allow for more development. The Pats also figure to return center and captain David Andrews and left guard Cole Strange.
NFL Notes: Drew Bledsoe dishes on Patriots’ offensive coordinator, former backup Alex Van Pelt
That leaves left tackle, where Trent Brown fell out of favor with the coaching staff last season. The 6-foot-8, 380-pounder is another impending free agent who may be out the door. If so, the Pats could sign another behemoth in his place: former Jets top-15 pick Mekhi Becton.
The 6-foot-7, 363-pounder struggled with consistency and injuries early in his career, but possesses rare talent and may be turning a corner. Becton saw more snaps in 2023 than his first three seasons combined, and is generally seen as the fourth- or fifth-best tackle available after Onwenu, Brown, Cowboys veteran Tyron Smith and possibly Cincinnati's Jonah Williams.
Another free agent to watch: ex-Patriots swing tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, who could return following a few years in Las Vegas. Unless Calvin Anderson enjoys a career year in 2024, the Pats do not have a reliable third tackle on their roster.
If the front offices prefers to go the draft route — and Mayo has cited offensive tackle as a top need — several options will be available. Notre Dame left tackle Joe Alt and Penn State's Olu Fashanu are projected top-10 picks. Expect both of them to be on the Patriots' radar, especially if the team opts to trade back from the third overall pick.
If not, Oregon State's Taliese Fuaga, Alabama product JC Latham, Washington left tackle Troy Fautanu and Oklahoma's Tyler Guyton are other projected first-round picks who might start Day 1. Several elite offensive tackle prospects, including Fuaga and Guyton, attended the Senior Bowl, an annual hotbed for future Patriots draft picks. Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy has called this year's class one of the deepest in recent memory.
The Patriots should prioritize top pass-protectors, especially if they draft a franchise quarterback to lead them into the Mayo era. Whomever they add, their line's performance can't get much worse than ranking dead last by ESPN's pass-block win rate and bottom-5 according to PFF's pass-blocking grades; both of which the Patriots managed last season.