What Should The Patriots Do This Offseason?

New England’s fourth overall pick, Will Campbell, had a postseason to forget as he allowed five sacks and 26 pressures in four games. A ton of offensive linemen have come to Campbell’s defense, stating that it’s not about his arm length and overall skill, but instead the technique that he’s currently using.

Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has already gotten out in front of everything and said that Campbell is their left tackle and has no plan to move him off the position. Campbell had a Grade 3 MCL sprain in his knee, but quickly mentioned that there weren’t any excuses for his play. This was an injury that cost Campbell five games during the regular season.

Fellow rookie Jared Wilson also struggled this postseason at left guard as he allowed four sacks, 28 pressures, and seven hits in four games, according to PFF. Wilson only played 10 snaps at left guard in his collegiate career at Georgia, so his shifting there soon wouldn’t be surprising. Center Garrett Bradbury is also an impending free agent, so this could be the perfect time to make the move. Bradbury allowed his first two sacks of the season in the playoffs, one penalty, but only gave up nine pressures and zero hits across four games.

Right guard Mike Onwenu allowed two sacks, 21 pressures, three penalties, and one hit, and there’s a good chance that he gets an extension this offseason. Right tackle, Morgan Moses, only allowed one sack, five pressures, and zero penalties and hits. Not too bad at all for the 34-year-old, it wouldn’t be surprising at all if the Patriots draft their future right tackle, though.

Campbell is safe, decide on Wilson’s position, and draft someone at one of the positions that he isn’t playing. I wouldn’t be ready to give up on either of them since they’re so young, just had a long season, and weren’t this bad all season. Both of these guys are coming off injuries towards the end of the season, came back, and were thrown in the fire against elite defenses.

Some of these issues from the offensive line also come from the fact that quarterback Drake Maye holds onto the ball too long. Maye is always trying to make a play and rarely throws the ball out of bounds. On the other hand, Maye’s internal clock rapidly spikes when he sees pressure continuously in his face, and it ultimately rattles him. This is where inaccuracy comes in, and he starts big play hunting, as we saw on Sunday.

Get Drake Maye A Number One Wide Receiver

Patriots fans have been clamoring for a number one wide receiver for a while. Stefon Diggs was a pleasant surprise, but he’s a wide receiver two at this stage of his career. You need a guy who can consistently get open against anyone at the end of the day. Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, Pop Douglas, and Kyle Williams are fine players, but they don’t do enough to constantly strike fear in their opponents.

The Seahawks have Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and the Los Angeles Rams have Puka Nacua; there’s no coincidence that these were arguably the two best teams in the NFL this season. Luckily for New England, there are a couple of avenues they can go to finally get their guy.

The first of those is making a humongous splash to trade for AJ Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles. There’s been some turmoil with the Eagles, Brown, Jalen Hurts, and the ability to not give him the ball as much as he believes he needs it. If there’s one thing for certain, it’s the fact that Maye would have no problem at all pelting Brown with targets, and he has the arm to connect on some big-time plays with him. Brown is coming off a season in which he caught 78 passes for 1,003 yards, had seven touchdowns, and five games with 100+ receiving yards. Another connection here is head coach Mike Vrabel, who coached Brown in Tennessee; he also grew up a Patriots fan, and reportedly cried when they didn’t draft him in 2019.

The second option would be trading for George Pickens, who just had a breakout season with the Dallas Cowboys. Pickens is 24 years old, is likely to be franchise tagged by Dallas, and was finally able to put it all together in Dallas alongside CeeDee Lamb. The Cowboys have a ton of holes to fill defensively, so who knows if they’ll be willing to give him the long-term extension that he deserves, especially when they already have Lamb. Pickens caught 93 passes for 1,429 yards, nine touchdowns, and had five games of 130+ receiving yards. A red flag with him is that he can be a headcase and have emotional outbursts, but the talent is evident. This is where it helps to have the reigning Coach of the Year in Vrabel, who’s a leader of men.

Outside of Brown and Pickens, there really aren’t any bona fide wide receiver ones reportedly available for trade. A nice flyer would be Brian Thomas Jr. of the Jacksonville Jaguars, who has an abundance of talent but just had a sophomore slump season and dealt with a drop problem. Free agent wide receiver Alec Pierce would also be solid as he’s one of the league’s most underrated deep threats, but he’ll cost a pretty penny. Another trade target would be DJ Moore, whose time might be running out with Rome Odunze and Luther Burden emerging.

Diggs also has an out after this season, so they can cut ties with him whenever, especially after seeing what happens in his court case in the near future.

The End Of My Patriots Rant

New England can also look to upgrade at the tight end position and have Hunter Henry in a reserve role, as he slowed down tremendously during the second half of the season. The Patriots also need to address their pass rush, especially if they don’t bring back K’Lavon Chaisson, who had three sacks and 20 pressures in the postseason. If they were able to swing a trade for an elite pass rusher like Maxx Crosby and pair him alongside Milton Williams and Christian Barmore, it would be scary hours.

All in all, it’ll be very interesting to see what New England does with its first-round pick at 31. Do they stick and pick either an offensive lineman, a pass rusher, or a wide receiver? Or do they instead shop around and trade that pick for Brown, Pickens, or Crosby? The Patriots have 11 draft picks in total, and the 11th most cap space at $42.7 million.

The number one priority New England should have is extending Christian Gonzalez, who’s coming off an outstanding Super Bowl performance, is only 23 years old, and is looking to reset the cornerback market. Currently, Sauce Gardner has the highest average annual value for a CB at $30.1 million, just ahead of Derek Stingley Jr. at $30 million.

The Patriots also have to make a decision on their own free agents, like Chaisson, Jaylinn Hawkins, and Khyiris Tonga. The Patriots had a big-time offseason in 2025, which propelled them to insane heights. It’s time to follow up on that; you cannot be complacent here. Unlike years past, New England is a desirable destination.