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2023 NFL quarterback analysis: New England Patriots
Current starter: Mac Jones | Current backups: Bailey Zappe, Brian Hoyer
State of the position: After a stellar rookie season that included a playoff berth and a second-place finish in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting, Mac Jones took a step back. He was 6-8 as a starter with 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. His yards per attempt dropped from 7.3 in 2021 to 6.8, and his sack rate increased from 5.1% to 7.1%.
Jones had his moments, but far fewer under Matt Patricia, who may be done after one season as the Patriots' offensive coordinator.
Mac Jones with a touchdown pic.twitter.com/xzFsMy4Ofs
— Alabama DieHards (@DiehardsAlabama) November 25, 2022
Rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe, who was drafted in the fourth round out of Western Kentucky, had his moments. He nearly won on the road against Green Bay when thrown into the fire in his first NFL action. Zappe was 2-0 as an official starter, completed 70.7% of his passes, and averaged an impressive 8.5 yards per attempt.
Bailey Zappe doing Bailey Zappe things pic.twitter.com/wrLZAwO4a1
— Barstool Western (@BarstoolWestern) October 9, 2022
The 2022 season was a down year for New England. Changes should be made, starting with the hiring of a new offensive coordinator and extending to the personnel side of football operations.
Key stat: Jones attempted 30 or more passes in 12 of his 14 starts, but he only had four games with multiple touchdown passes.
2023 QB forecast: New England's answers to the quarterback position are on the roster. Despite a sophomore slump, Jones should remain starter.
Zappe should serve as the backup heading into his second season. There may be some debate about if Zappe could overtake Jones' starting spot at some point.
Zappe will be there if Jones underperforms again, and his presence should serve as healthy pressure to keep Jones in check.
New England will likely retain Hoyer for another year. He will be 38 next season and is under contract for 2023. He has a $1.64 million dead cap hit if cut in 2023.
More must-reads:
- Bill Belichick is thinking about bringing Bill O'Brien back to New England
- Patriots to interview Nick Caley for OC role, request Keenan McCardell meeting
- The '2008 NFL playoff coaches and QBs' quiz
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Cowboys make questionable move amid Micah Parsons stalemate
The Dallas Cowboys extended one of their stars Sunday, just not the one fans wanted them to pay. At Cowboys training camp Saturday, Dallas fans serenaded owner Jerry Jones with "Pay Micah [Parsons]" chants. The EDGE, of course, is set to play on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract this season. Jones must not have been listening. He gave tight end Jake Ferguson a new contract instead. Dallas and the 26-year-old pass-catcher agreed to a four-year, $52M contract extension, via NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. This move seems head-scratching. Parsons has won the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year and earned two first-team All-Pro nods since the Cowboys took him with pick No. 12 in the 2021 NFL Draft. The 26-year-old EDGE also finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Ferguson, meanwhile, is solid but not elite. In three seasons with the Cowboys, the 2022 fourth-round pick has made one Pro Bowl and has never finished with more than 761 receiving yards in a season. An extension for Parsons will devour future cap space. The Cowboys may be worried about that after giving quarterback Dak Prescott (four years, $240M) and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (four years, $136M) long-term deals in 2024. Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt signed a lucrative three-year, $123M extension on July 17, making him the league's highest-paid non-QB. Parsons could command a similar contract. If cap space is Dallas' primary concern, however, why would it extend Ferguson? He's now set to be the NFL's seventh-highest-paid TE. The Cowboys waited to extend Lamb and Prescott just before the start of the 2024 season. They may be doing the same with Parsons. The star defender has said, "Ownership is always gonna make [contract negotiations] drag out." Regardless, the Cowboys should've paid Parsons before Ferguson. That's a much bigger priority for the team.
Royals acquire outfield help in perplexing trade with Diamondbacks
The Kansas City Royals were hoping to bolster their outfield ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. They were able to do just that in a trade on Saturday. Steve Gilbert from MLB.com reported that the Royals have acquired outfielder Randal Grichuk from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Mark Feinsand from MLB.com reported that relief pitcher Andrew Hoffman will head to Arizona in exchange for Grichuk. The Royals desperately needed help in their outfield. Royals outfielders had been the worst in the majors, posting an atrocious .219/.273/.328 batting line with just 19 home runs entering Saturday's action. Although Grichuk is in the midst of a disappointing season himself, he is an immediate upgrade over whatever the Royals have sent into the outfield. Grichuk had posted a .243/.280/.462 batting line in 186 plate appearances entering Saturday, hitting seven homers and 15 doubles. In exchange, the Diamondbacks receive Hoffman, who FanGraphs ranked as the Royals' 22nd-best prospect entering the season. His upper-90s fastball and new kick change are both considered plus offerings, although his ability to command his arsenal is questionable at best. Hoffman's potential and flaws were evident this season. He made his major league debut for the Royals, allowing six runs, two earned, on seven hits and four walks over 4.2 innings, striking out five. However, Hoffman had dominated at Triple-A, posting a 3.60 ERA and a 1.125 WHiP over his 40 innings, striking out 55 batters with just 10 walks. He is another intriguing addition for a Diamondbacks team that has prioritized pitching in their two trades thus far. The same upside does not exist for the Royals. Kansas City had the same record as the Diamondbacks entering the second game of their doubleheader against the Guardians. Grichuk signed a one-year contract with $5 million guaranteed for 2025. There is a mutual option worth $5 million, with a $3 million buyout, for 2026. Theoretically, Grichuk could be part of the Royals' plans next season. However, mutual options are rarely picked up. As the Royals are currently under .500 and need to pass four teams in the standings to seize the final wild-card spot, adding a rental option does not make sense. It is possible that both sides can work out an arrangement for 2026, but unless that happens, the Royals' latest move is questionable at best.
Cardinals suffer injury blow as key CB tears ACL
Arizona Cardinals cornerback Starling Thomas V, entering his third NFL season, suffered a massive setback Friday when he suffered a torn ACL during practice, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. The injury is expected to sideline him for the entire 2025 NFL season. According to multiple reports and confirmed by Schefter, the corner was carted off the field after initial tests on the field before he was taken to the locker room for further testing. Despite being undrafted in 2023, Thomas established himself quickly on the Cardinals defense. In his first two seasons, he started in 22 games and posted 85 tackles, 11 pass breakups and one forced fumble. In 2024, he started 15 games, allowing only 30 total receptions, with six pass deflections and 47 total tackles. On Pro Football Focus, Thomas earned an overall grade of 60.9 in 2024, which ranks him 116th among 222 other qualified corners. He possessed a coverage grade of 60.9 and a run defense grade of 58.0. Now with Thomas expected to be sidelined for the entire 2025 season, the Cardinals' cornerback depth will take a significant hit. The team had some roster flexibility prior to the injury but now faces a thinner group. The unit will now rely heavily on second-round pick Will Johnson, as well as 2024 second-rounder Max Melton. Johnson was selected 47th in the 2025 NFL Draft, which was a surprising drop given his dominant 2023 season. The drop was primarily due to injury concerns that held him out of most of 2024 and limited him in draft workouts. There was concern over his long-term health, as well as if his athleticism would remain intact. So far this training camp, Johnson has reportedly been running with the first team and has shown flashes of solid play. Melton was drafted 43rd in the 2024 NFL Draft. He showed several flashes throughout his rookie season, especially towards the tail end of the year. He totaled 565 snaps, with a PFF coverage grade of 56.1. With the injury to Thomas, Melton will likely move into a full time starting role, which he states he feels confident in. "Year 1 was everything I wanted to be," Melton said during an appearance on "Arizona Sports’ Wolf Luke." "It was a learning process and by the end of the year, I felt like I was full-fledged and that’s exactly how I feel like going into Year 2. I feel like it’s time to take off this year and that’s exactly what we’re going to do." For Thomas, the injury is a tough blow, but the expectation is that it will only be a short setback. With his talent and work ethic, there should be a ton of optimism that he can return stronger. The Cardinals will be counting on him to make a full recovery and reclaim his role within the team's secondary.
Warriors still positioning themselves for Giannis Antetokounmpo blockbuster
Things have largely gone cold on the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade front, but that does not mean teams are not thinking of the possibility of that changing. Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard noted that the Warriors are being cautious in negotiations with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, as he could be possible trade bait if Antetokounmpo is traded by the Milwaukee Bucks. The Warriors are adamant about not giving away Kuminga for less than his full trade value, which is why his situation remains unresolved with August looming. Kuminga and the Warriors have yet to agree on a contract, and it remains unclear when the situation will be resolved. He has a $7.9 million qualifying offer on the table, and signing it would allow him to approve any trade he is involved in. If he signs a multiyear extension, he would not be eligible to be traded until January, which could complicate things if Antetokounmpo decides late in the offseason that he wants a move. Presumably, Kuminga would be a key part of any trade the Warriors make involving Antetokounmpo. However, with no market materializing, there seems to be a growing chance he could remain with the team next season. The former No. 7 overall pick averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.8 steals per game last season. He appeared in 47 games, making 10 starts and averaging 24.3 minutes per game. However, he has been unable to consistently lock down a major spot in coach Steve Kerr’s rotation, which reportedly led to some tension between the two last season. Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, still seems unlikely to be traded, but teams are still going to prepare for the possibility.
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