The New England Patriots went from not spending a premium draft pick on a receiver in April to potentially being a contract offer away from landing five-time Pro Bowler DeAndre Hopkins.
Granted, they aren’t the only team eyeing Hopkins, who is still arguably the best receiver in the NFL. There are multiple teams that would love to have a game-changing offensive weapon that could tilt the balance of power in their favor.
FOX Sports’ Henry McKenna reported the Patriots are expected to be one of the interested teams in pursuing Hopkins after he was released by the Arizona Cardinals. So the sweepstakes will now come down to a straight up contract offer without the need to trade assets.
It should be a robust market for Hopkins’ services, and there are still questions surrounding his personal feelings in relation to Patriots newly-hired offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien. But if things come together, this would be a move that would finally puts the Patriots back on top.
Here are four reasons why Hopkins could help turn New England into Super Bowl contenders:
1
Patriots would finally have a true No. 1 receiver
Let’s start with the obvious and note that Hopkins joining the roster would finally give the Patriots a legitimate No. 1 receiving target.
We’ve seen New England recycle through the same old formula of screen passes and quick throws in the slot to keep the chains moving. That’s all fine and dandy, as long as they’re in short yardage situations.
But things have become increasingly more difficult for the team to move the ball in third-and-long situations. There are times when the offensive unit feels dead in the water if the defense is able to make a stand of any kind on the early downs. Per Team Rankings, the Patriots were ranked 27th in the league in third-down conversion percentage (34.8%) and 28th on fourth-down conversions (38.4%) last season.
Things won’t get any easier with the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills all having formidable defenses. Even if improved, O’Brien can only help the offense so much.
The Patriots need an elite talent at receiver to really strike fear into the hearts of the opposition. Hopkins is the kind of playmaker that can dig the Patriots out of those long-yardage situations by successfully matching up with any cornerback in the NFL.
2
Hopkins would unlock the rest of the passing offense
Hopkins merely being on the field would completely change how other teams defend the Patriots.
The offense was too easy to defend in 2022. It was all about opposing safeties coming down to help nullify the running game and short passing routes. Nobody feared the Patriots taking the top off, and it made it hard for the unit to move the ball against decent defenses,
But Hopkins being on the field would make them a completely different beast.
He can draw an opponent’s top cornerback and sometimes even double coverage—and still win. More than anything, however, Hopkins would open up the rest of the offense underneath to make the Patriots’ overall passing attack more effective.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and even Tyquan Thornton would benefit greatly from having another big receiving target on the field.
Hopkins’ presence would even benefit the run game. The defense’s fear of crowding the box would leave more space for Rhamondre Stevenson and company to do damage both on the ground and through the air.
3
Hopkins would help fix one of the Patriots' biggest weaknesses
One of the biggest problems for the Patriots last season was their inability to come away with touchdowns in the red zone. You aren’t going to win many NFL games in today’s age off the foot of a field goal kicker.
At some point, the Patriots are going to have to build their offense in a way to fight fire with fire against some of the other juggernauts in the league, including the Bills and Dolphins.
Even the Jets should be much better offensively with Aaron Rodgers under center at quarterback in 2023.
New England was dead last in touchdowns when it came to red zone scoring percentage last season (42.2%). That’s an issue that needs to be rectified for the team to see any form of improvement.
Adding Smith-Schuster and tight end Mike Gesicki will help, but it’s unlikely to lead to any significant improvement. However, the addition of Hopkins, who has been a touchdown magnet throughout his career, could completely turn the tables in that regard.
4
The Patriots already have a Super Bowl-caliber defense
One of the bright spots for the Patriots last season was the defense.
Despite the offense being a walking disaster, the team was only one win away from punching their ticket to the playoffs. That was mostly due to the defense consistently creating havoc on the field in the way of turnovers and scoring points.
There were times when the defense seemed more efficient in scoring touchdowns than the Patriots’ offense.
Things should only get better with the addition of rookie standouts Christian Gonzalez, Marte Mapu and Keion White. Coach Bill Belichick is building the sort of defensive juggernaut that could carry even a halfway decent offense to the Promised Land.
The Patriots’ offense would exceed that with O’Brien taking over the play-calling and an elite wideout talent like Hopkins joining the fray.
