Former New England Patriots offensive lineman Damien Woody knows the last few seasons must be eating away at owner Robert Kraft.
The Patriots haven’t won a playoff game since their Super Bowl run in the 2018 season. They haven’t even made the playoffs in two of their last three seasons. In 2022, they barely beat out the New York Jets for third place in a drastically improved AFC East division.
The Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins have gone from perennial punchline teams in the AFC to offensive juggernauts. Meanwhile, the Patriots have been doing things the same way they’ve always done it—saving the big moves for defense and, either, missing in the draft or settling for lower-tiered veteran projects at receiver.
“I know this has to be eating Mr. Kraft up, that the Patriots are basically irrelevant,” said Woody, according to the Boston Herald’s Karen Guregian. “I know it has to. So go out there and make a couple of splash moves. Bring some spice and some relevance back to the Patriots. Make it interesting.
“…I think they made a step in the right direction bringing Billy O back, because that was madness what they were doing last year. So I’m glad they got a guy who knows what he’s doing. But they need weapons. They need difference makers on offense. It’s not good enough just getting Billy O’Brien back. They need actual guys on the field that will make a difference.”
The Patriots have typically shied away from making splash signings on offense, particularly at the receiver position.
Doing more with less could be attributed to the greatness of former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, along with Belichick’s otherworldly coaching abilities.
But Mac Jones isn’t a seven-time Super Bowl champion. The Patriots aren’t even sure if he’s their long-term option at the quarterback position. Expecting a third-year quarterback to continue doing more with less a year after falling off a cliff with Matt Patricia as the offensive play-caller is madness. The team doesn’t just need good players. They need great ones capable of instilling real fear in opposing defenses.
Could that be pulling off a trade for Tee Higgins or DeAndre Hopkins? Or, maybe the team would settle for moves on players like Keenan Allen or Jerry Jeudy. One thing is certain: The old way isn’t cutting it anymore for the Patriots.
They can either make the necessary adjustments or run the risk of remaining irrelevant.
