The New England Patriots may have had a busy offseason, but it still lacks in some areas, according to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell.
Barnwell ranked the tight ends, running backs, and wide receivers group from every NFL team as a whole heading into 2023. He placed New England at 26th in his rankings.
The Patriots were able to upgrade at the wide receiver and tight end position this offseason, signing JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mike Gesicki. New England also returns leading rusher Rhamondre Stevenson, in what looks to be a competitive AFC East.
Even still, that was not enough to move the needle for Barnwell, as he wrote in an article published on Monday. The diminished returns from the 2021 free agency spending spree still are evident two years later.
Barnwell wrote:
Bill Belichick attempted to give Mac Jones and his offense a shot in the arm in 2021 by going on a free agent spending spree. The Patriots added Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith at tight end and Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor at wide receiver. Two years later, Smith and Agholor are gone, while Bourne might be competing for his roster spot against DeVante Parker in training camp.
New England will look to put together a more polished offense in 2023, as they look to keep up with the rest of the AFC. Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien may be an important personnel addition in helping the team get back on track.
