With the 4-13 Patriots’ 2023 season reaching its conclusion Sunday with a loss to the Jets, here are leftover thoughts on a frustrating campaign.
The Patriots’ offense was embarrassingly bad in 2022 and somehow got worse in 2023.
That seemed impossible with Bill O’Brien taking over for Joe Judge as quarterbacks coach and Matt Patricia as offensive coordinator. One person within the organization explained how Patricia and Judge’s lack of experience might have actually been helpful. Without any preconceived notions of what an offense is really supposed to look like, they were just running plays that they thought would score them the most points. There’s some inherent bias involved with more of a seasoned coordinator like O’Brien.
That being said, injuries and a more difficult schedule did not help the Patriots.
Expectations were not overly high from some members of the organization on the quarterbacks entering the 2023 season. I remember asking one team source during the offseason whether there was a belief that Jones would be significantly better under O’Brien, and the answer was a somewhat surprising no. There was hope Jones would be better, but that wasn’t necessarily the expectation.
One source recently described Jones as having backup-level talent but that he might need to humble himself to take on that type of role. And the team was not high on Zappe all the way from the offseason until the end of the season. He struggled enough over the summer to be cut, and he never organically passed Jones on the depth chart because he was throwing interceptions in practice and checking down to running backs during scout-team drills.
Let’s quickly divide up the offseason additions.
Good signings: RB Ezekiel Elliott, LB Chris Board, WR Jalen Reagor, CB Alex Austin
Bad signings: OT Calvin Anderson, RB James Robinson, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, TE Mike Gesicki, OT Riley Reiff
We’re being pretty liberal with calling Board and Reagor good signings, but for the money, they weren’t detracting from the team. There was a lot more bad than good this offseason, however.
With one season down to assess the Patriots’ latest draft class, it feels fair to give the group a B- or C+ at this point.
Gonzalez was a great find in the first round, assuming he can stay healthy in the future. Wide receiver DeMario Douglas was a steal in the sixth round. Punter Bryce Baringer played well. Defensive end Keion White, safety Marte Mapu and guard Sidy Sow had their moments.
Center Jake Andrews barely played, kicker Chad Ryland struggled mightily, guard Atonio Mafi was demoted by the end of the season, and wide receiver Kayshon Boutte barely got a chance.
Cornerback Ameer Speed is off of the team, and fellow cornerback Isaiah Bolden missed the season with a concussion.
There’s a belief within the organization that benching wide receiver Pop Douglas after his Week 2 fumble against the Dolphins ultimately held back the offense. Douglas played 41.3% of offensive snaps in Week 1 and didn’t get back to that rate until Week 7.
He was the Patriots’ best pass catcher for almost the entire season and looks like he can be the team’s future slot receiver as long as he can avoid concussion issues.
Last year’s draft is looking like an unmitigated disaster. Left guard Cole Strange struggled for most of the season and then suffered a season-ending injury just as he was playing his best football. Tyquan Thornton couldn’t make an impact despite a litany of injuries at wide receiver. Cornerback Marcus Jones missed most of the season.
Cornerback Jack Jones, running back Pierre Strong and guard Chasen Hines are no longer on the team. Zappe struggled in relief of quarterback Mac Jones. Kevin Harris looks like a decent third option at running back. Sam Roberts was a healthy scratch for most of the season, and Andrew Stueber was on the practice squad all year.
The Patriots’ defense finished eighth in expected points added (EPA) per play against, 15th in dropback EPA per play against and first in rush EPA per play against. That’s obviously great.
It’s even better when you consider all of the adversity they faced. Their best defensive player, edge defender Matthew Judon, and their first-round pick, Gonzalez, both suffered season-ending injuries in Week 4. Another cornerback, Marcus Jones, played just two games, sub-package defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale played three games, and the team used 10 (!) different cornerbacks on defense, not including Breon Borders, who was elevated from the practice squad but didn’t play.
Safety Jabrill Peppers, linebackers Jahlani Tavai and Mack Wilson, and defensive tackle Christian Barmore all earned career-high PFF grades. Gonzalez was immediately an impact player. Unheralded defenders like Myles Bryant, Anfernee Jennings and Jeremiah Pharms played key roles. And rookie cornerback Alex Austin, a midseason addition who was drafted by the Bills in the seventh round and cut from the Texans’ practice squad, looks like a legitimate find. He was the Patriots’ highest-graded defender Week 18 against the Jets.
The Patriots’ offensive coaching was dysfunctional again this season. But their defensive coaches – linebackers coaches Jerod Mayo and Steve Belichick, defensive line coaches DeMarcus Covington and Joe Kim, cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino and safeties coach Brian Belichick – are all well-respected inside of Gillette Stadium. Mayo, Steve Belichick and Covington are all coordinator-level talents.
Barmore deserves special mention for the season he put together. He impressed Patriots decision-makers on a daily basis in practice and games and is a perfect candidate for a long-term extension now that he’s entering the fourth year of his rookie contract.
The Alabama product is an impactful player as a pass rusher and against the run. He really put it all together this season and should be viewed as one of a handful of the Patriots’ best players.