The Third Act.

[Soapy]

Incestual in the past, what does The Patriot Way look like with Tomlin at the helm?
For more than two decades, Bill Belichick as served as head coach and essentially general manager for the New England Patriots, helping mold the organization into one of the best in all of sports.

Belichick not only retired as a coach this past January but also let go of his stranglehold on the organization as its molder with the hiring of Mike Tomlin, a successful head coach in his own right whose Patriots will look a lot different than Belichick's.

With Josh McDaniels in Buffalo now as their new head coach, Tomlin hired former Colts offensive coordinator Marcus Brady to be the team's new offensive mind and reunited with defensive coordinator Keith Butler to lead the defense. None of the three -- Tomlin, Brady and Butler -- have ties to New England or Belichick, the dawn of a new day.

Tomlin left his last two locations -- or was forced out, depending on which reports you believe -- due to disagreements with front offices in Pittsburgh and Atlanta respectively on the outlook of the team, particularly with quarterback Matt Corral in Pittsburgh and Malik Willis in Atlanta. Pittsburgh chose Corral over Tomlin and since then, the former Ole Miss quarterback has won an MVP and led his team to a top two seed in the AFC.

The quarterback position isn't up for debate in New England with Jones' solidifying his place in this league this past season as a top fifteen quarterback despite his turnover struggles. Here are the biggest questions marks heading into next season:

• How does it shakeout at running back?
  New England extended Damien Harris last season after he rushed for over 1,500 yards but throughout the season, it was Rhamondre Stevenson who was the better back and the team used him accordingly, rushing for 1,083 yards on 4.4 yards per carry while Harris failed to reach 1,000-yards for the first time since 2021.
  
  There's also Kenny McIntosh, who rushed for 452 yards as a rookie and caught 48 passes out of the backfield as perhaps New England's most well rounded back. He's ridiculously cheap with a cap hit of $730k in 2023 compared to Harris' $5.18 million. New England will also need to decide on if James White is worth bringing back with McIntosh's performance as a rookie. White made $3.67 million last year.
  -
• A crowded receiver room needs some clarity
  Seven receivers played at least 175 snaps last season for New England with Charleston Rambo, Parris Campbell and Kendrick Bourne leading the way.
  
  After catching 108 passes last year, Jakobi Meyers' production took a hit this season, catching 32 passes in sixteen games and by the end of the season, he was splitting reps at slot receiver with Josh Johnson, Tutu Atwell and Braxton Berrios.
  
  Berrios and Meyers are signed through 2024 while Atwell and Johnson are both free agents that New England could bring back cheap. The questions at receiver will likely linger throughout the offseason and potentially get even more cloudy if additionally bodies are added.
  -
• What to do with Hunter Henry's looming free agency
  Since joining the team in 2021, Henry has been a model of consistency with 164 catches and 22 touchdowns in three seasons as well as New England's best inline blocker at tight end. He's also managed to stay relatively healthy after dealing with injuries during his time with the Los Angeles Chargers.
  
  Henry is now 29 and likely trying to cash out once more. How keen is New England on giving him an extension with Jonnu Smith due $15.8 million next season and rookie tight end Darnell Washington's emergence? They'd certainly like him back but they didn't miss him a whole lot during his absence late this season as Smith had his best season as a Patriot yet and Washington caught eight touchdown passes.
  -
• Reworking the offensive line
  New England has a really good left tackle in Isaiah Wynn that can't stay healthy, an above average left guard in Michael Onwenu that plays at an elite level when he's at right tackle and a right tackle in Trent Brown that would prefer to be playing at left tackle.
  
  Wynn's injury history cannot be ignored as he's due $48 million over the course of the next three seasons and he's missed ten games in the last two years. The offensive line was at its best when Wynn, Onwenu and Brown were all healthy and playing. New England was able to get away with starting either Matt Jones or Nick Ford along in the interior offensive line while Robert Hainsey had his best season as a pro at center, the position Jones was drafted to play.
  
  Even with Hainsey's productive season and the drafting of Jones in the third round, New England is likely going to try to improve along the interior offensive line regardless and if they can do so, they might be able to revisit playing Onwenu at right tackle. If that does happen, the Wynn conversation gets a lot more interesting.
  -
• Is Dugger the long term option at safety?
  Kyle Dugger has been a good, slightly above average safety during his time in New England due to his versatility and physicality. Dugger played the majority of his snaps in 2022 in the box before playing more of a traditional safety role this past year where he had similar success.
  
  The Patriots would most likely like him back to sure up the back end of that defense but at what price? If it's in the $8M APY range, sure. Anything above that and you get in the borderline pro bowl level which Dugger is a notch below.

Draft Picks
Round 1, Pick 27 (Todd McShay Mock Draft Selection: IOL Kenny Newby, Texas)
Round 2, Pick 50 (via GB)
Round 2, Pick 59
Round 3, Pick 72 (via LV)
Round 3, Pick 91
Round 4, Pick 123
Round 5, Pick 136 (LV)
Round 5, Pick 155
Round 6, Pick 187
Round 7, Pick 219

Expiring Contracts
TE Hunter Henry, Age 29, 85 ovr
S Kyle Duggar, Age 28, 82 ovr
EDGE Josh Uche, Age 25, 75 ovr
S Adrian Phillips, Age 32, 74 ovr
IDL Davon Godchaux, Age 29, 73 ovr
K Quinn Nordin, Age 26, 72 ovr
HB James White, Age 32, 70 ovr
WR Tutu Atwell, Age 24, 70 ovr
IDL Dean Lowry, Age 30, 68 ovr
IDL Andrew Brown, Age 28, 68 ovr
OLB Leon Jacobs, Age 28, 68 ovr
IDL Malcom Brown, Age 30, 68 ovr
TE Devin Asiasi, Age 27, 68 ovr
FB Jason Cabinda, Age 28, 68 ovr
CB Parry Nickerson, Age 29, 67 ovr
WR Josh Johnson, Age 24, 66 ovr
T Justin Herron, Age 28, 64 ovr
OLB Aaron Lynch, Age 31, 63 ovr
G Sidney Wells, Age 24, 62 ovr
LB Dont'a Hightower (retirement)
QB Matt Ryan (retirement)

2023 New England Patriots Stats
Passing
QB Mac Jones: 400 of 648, 5184 yards, 35 TD, 19 INT, 92.6 passer rating, sacked 25 times (Pro Bowl).

Rushing
HB Rhamondre Stevenson: 248 carries, 1083 yards, 6 touchdowns.
HB Damien Harris: 235 carries, 962 yards, 13 touchdowns, 3 fumbles.
HB Kenny McIntosh: 101 carries, 452 yards.
HB James White: 39 carries, 231 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 fumbles.
QB Mac Jones: 22 carries, 50 yards, touchdown, 4 fumbles.

Receiving
WR Charleston Rambo: 59 receptions, 915 yards, 3 touchdowns.
TE Jonnu Smith: 59 receptions, 869 yards, 6 touchdowns.
HB Kenny McIntosh: 48 receptions, 388 yards.
TE Hunter Henry: 40 receptions, 533 yards, 4 touchdowns.
HB James White: 35 receptions, 362 yards.
WR Jakobi Meyers: 32 receptions, 432 yards, 2 touchdowns.
WR Parris Campbell: 27 receptions, 403 yards, touchdown.
WR Kendrick Bourne: 26 receptions, 369 yards, 2 touchdowns.
TE Darnell Washington: 25 receptions, 277 yards, 8 touchdowns.
WR Josh Johnson: 15 receptions, 268 yards, 5 touchdowns.
WR Tutu Atwell: 15 receptions, 197 yards, touchdown.
WR Braxton Berrios: 14 receptions, 179 yards, 4 touchdowns.

Blocking
LT Isaiah Wynn: 79.1 PFF grade
LG/RT Michael Onwenu: 74.7 PFF grade
C Robert Hainsey: 80.8 PFF grade
T Trent Brown: 72.2 PFF grade (Pro Bowl)
G/C Michael Jones: 70.0 PFF grade
G/T Nick Ford: 61.3 PFF grade

Defense
ILB Trez Marshall: 116 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, fumble recovery (80.2 PFF grade) (Pro Bowl)
S Kyle Dugger: 112 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, sack, 6 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles (74.5 PFF grade)
CB Jaire Alexander: 91 tackles, tackle for loss, 5 interceptions, 22 pass breakups (83.3 PFF grade) (Pro Bowl)
CB J.C. Jackson: 85 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, interception, 8 pass breakups (81.9 PFF grade)
ILB Dont'a Hightower: 78 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles (84.3 PFF grade) (Pro Bowl)
S/LB Adrian Phillips: 77 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, sack, 3 pass breakups (78.9 PFF grade)
S Jordan Poyer: 73 tackles, tackle for loss, interception, 5 pass breakups, forced fumble (68.3 PFF grade)
S Malachi Moore: 68 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, pass breakup (74.3 PFF grade)
ILB Ja'Whaun Bentley: 63 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks (80.8 PFF grade)
CB Roger McCreary: 53 tackles, tackle for loss, 9 pass breakups (76.3 PFF grade)
EDGE DeAngelo Malone: 37 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries (67.9 PFF grade)
IDL Quinnen Williams: 31 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, forced fumble, fumble recovery (75.3 PFF grade) (Pro Bowl)
IDL Christian Barmore: 27 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 9 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries (71.5 PFF grade)
EDGE Josh Uche: 22 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks (69.7 PFF grade)
IDL Deatrich Wise Jr: 21 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 3 sacks (75.3 PFF grade)
IDL Davon Godchaux: 19 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks (74.2 PFF grade)
EDGE Ronnie Perkins: 14 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, interception, pass breakup (62.2 PFF grade)
EDGE Matthew Judon: 14 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, sack (66.8 PFF grade)
IDL Dean Lowry: 5 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 sacks (61.0 PFF grade)


Special Teams
K Quinn Nordin: 23 of 33 FG, 47/51 XP, 54 FG Lng
P Blake Gillikin: 61 punts, 3003 yards, 45.1 Net Avg, 23 punts inside the 20
R Kenny McIntosh: 34 kick returns, 712 yards.
R Braxton Berrios: 27 kick returns, 555 yards, 24 punt returns, 99 yards.
ST Jaiden Lars-Woodbey: 6 tackles.
ST Shaquille Quarterman: 5 tackles.
ST Leon O'Neal Jr: 4 tackles.

Team Stats
Total Offense: 7785 yards (1st)
Passing Offense: 4936 yards (1st)
Rushing Offense: 2849 yards (1st)
Scoring Offense: 30.0 PPG (4th)
Total Defense: 6461 yards (22nd)
Passing Defense: 4870 yards (32nd)
Rushing Defense: 1591 yards (2nd)
Scoring Defense: 27.5 PPG (24th)

[mvp]

Loss to Cincy's weak ass D, Bill retires, and Tomlin hired

[Soapy]

Loss to Cincy's weak ass D, Bill retires, and Tomlin hired

our secondary got cooked when it was time to nut up smh

[Soapy]

Notes from the NFL Scouting Combine as Patriots prepare for draft
With four picks in the top 100, New England is well equipped to reload in the upcoming NFL draft and after this past week's NFL Scouting Combine, Patriots fans have plenty of reasons to be excited.

The star of the show might have been USC's Denzel McCleod as the six-foot-four, 266 pound edge rusher ran a 4.62 40-yd dash while putting up 30 on the bench press, good enough for the fastest 40-time and the third most reps among edge rushers.

A wide-nine at USC, McCleod would most likely fit into New England's defense as a stand-up edge rusher akin to T.J. Watt in Mike Tomlin and Keith Butler's defense that's more of a traditional 3-4 defense. Josh Uche is a free agent and Matthew Judon struggled last season so if available at 27, New England could be interested in McLeod and other similar players.

Here are a few thoughts as we wrap up the 2024 NFL Combine:

A first round receiver is likely off the table
Even consensus top receiver Orlando Harden (Michigan) had a solid combine at best with a 6.90 in the 3-cone and a 32" vertical jump at six-foot-three. Harden is likely a top five pick according to most draft experts and the other most likely first round in Alec Stephenson (Colorado) ran a 4.65 forty at six-foot-three and 228 pounds.

A big outside receiver is appealing for this offense and Mac Jones but guys like Jacoby Bramble (LSU), Larry Jenkins (West Virginia), and Zeke Fowler (Marshall) might remind fans of N'Keal Harry as they lack elite top end speed and suddenness. While they are solid prospects, are they worth a day one or day two pick? Likely not as while the current roster lacks a true number one receiver, there's plenty of capable talent there already.

Plenty of talent at tight end could make things intriguing
Entering the combine, Florida State's Phillip Howard was viewed as potentially the only first round talent but Gordon Wall (Ole Miss) and Dante Wake (Washington) put on impressive performances at the Combine and looked smooth going through drills to maybe make a case to be a day one selection.

There were other standouts, including Michigan's Scott McMillian who ran a 4.56 forty at 232 pounds and a 7.12 3-cone time. With Hunter Henry likely on the way out, New England might look at tight end with four picks between the 2nd and 3rd round.

Could New England replace Dont'a Hightower in the first round?
New England drafted Trez Marshall in the second round and while year over year, the defense took a step down last season, he was the right selection as he was one of their better players once he got rolling.

Pairing Marshall with another dynamic athlete in the middle of the defense could fix some of their defensive woes, especially against the pass as Oregon's Ben Jones is one of the better coverage linebackers in the draft. He likely secured his spot in the first round with a 4.42 in the forty while still putting 26 reps in the bench press and weighing in at 253 pounds.

There are other first round options that might be better players in the Whitfield twins (Gio and Miles), UCF's Mitch Carter and Florida State's Isaiah Golston but they might be off the board by 27 and a more first and second down backers.

[Soapy]

Former Patriot Stephon Gilmore leads less than stellar free agency class
With Jimmy Garoppolo and Tua Tagovailoa as the top available quarterbacks and Chase Claypool among the top free agent receivers, it's fair to predict that New England might be saving some of their $60.5 million of cap space for next year's free agency class in what appears to be a bleak crop of available talent.

The Don Dada of the free agency class is former Patriot Stephon Gilmore who, at 33, is still among the league's best corners. The lack of elite young talent bodes well for Patriots free agents Hunter Henry and Kyle Dugger who now rise to the top of team's wish list and increase their value.

Top Free Agents
QB Tua Tagovailoa, 26 yo » 75 ovr
QB Jimmy Garoppolo, 32 yo » 70 ovr
QB D'Eriq King, 26 yo » 70 ovr
QB Kirk Cousins, 36 yo » 66 ovr

HB A.J. Dillon, 26 yo » 80 ovr
HB Zack Moss, 26 yo » 79 ovr
HB Gus Edwards, 29 yo » 79 ovr
HB Kenyan Drake, 30 yo » 78 ovr

FB Patrick Ricard, 30 yo » 81 ovr
FB Alec Ingold, 28 yo » 79 ovr
FB Andy Janovich, 31 yo » 77 ovr

WR Tee Higgins, 25 yo » 83 ovr
WR Chase Claypool, 26 yo » 83 ovr
WR Sterling Shepard, 31 yo » 80 ovr
WR Curtis Samuel, 28 yo » 80 ovr
WR Antonio Brown, 35 yo » 79 ovr

TE Hunter Henry, 29 yo » 85 ovr
TE Taylor Higbee, 31 yo » 84 ovr
TE Austin Hooper, 29 yo » 82 ovr

T Terron Armstead, 33 yo » 87 ovr
T Taylor Lewan, 33 yo » 81 ovr
G Laken Tomlinson, 32 yo » 80 ovr
G Netane Muti, 25 yo » 78 ovr
G Connor Williams, 27 yo » 78 ovr
G Will Hernandez, 28 yo » 77 ovr

EDGE DeMarcus Lawrence, 32 yo » 85 ovr
EDGE Von Miller, 35 yo » 84 ovr
EDGE Derek Barnett, 28 yo » 77 ovr
EDGE Josh Uche, 25 yo » 75 ovr
EDGE Kemoko Turay, 29 yo » 74 ovr
EDGE Trey Flowers, 31 yo » 74 ovr
EDGE Melvin Ingram, 35 yo » 73 ovr

IDL Leonard Williams, 30 yo » 86 ovr
IDL Fletcher Cox, 33 yo » 85 ovr
IDL Michael Pierce, 31 yo » 84 ovr
IDL Bilal Nichols, 27 yo » 81 ovr
IDL Akiem Hicks, 34 yo » 79 ovr
IDL Doug Costin, 26 yo » 78 ovr

LB Eric Kendricks, 32 yo » 81 ovr
LB Lavonte David, 34 yo » 76 ovr
LB Anthony Walker Jr, 29 yo » 76 ovr
LB De'Vondre Campbell, 31 yo » 75 ovr

CB Stephon Gilmore, 33 yo » 91 ovr
CB Marcus Peters, 31 yo » 82 ovr
CB Darius Slay Jr, 33 yo » 82 ovr
CB Casey Hayward Jr, 34 yo » 82 ovr
CB Bryce Callahan, 32 yo » 81 ovr
CB Jonathan Jones, 30 yo » 80 ovr
CB C.J. Henderson, 25 yo » 80 ovr
CB William Jackson III, 31 yo » 78 ovr

S Kyle Dugger, 28 yo » 82 ovr
S Micah Hyde, 33 yo » 81 ovr
S Terrell Burgess, 25 yo » 80 ovr
S Ashtyn Davis, 27 yo » 79 ovr
S Karl Joseph, 30 yo » 74 ovr
S Adrian Phillips, 32 yo » 74 ovr

K Justin Tucker, 34 yo » 89 ovr
K Will Lutz, 30 yo » 83 ovr
K Tyler Bass, 27 yo » 81 ovr
K Rodrigo Blankenship, 27 yo » 80 ovr
K Chris Boswell, 33 yo » 80 ovr

P Johnny Hekker, 34 yo » 83 ovr
P Corey Bojorquez, 28 yo » 83 ovr
P J.K. Scott, 27 yo » 81 ovr

[chosenone58]

Well, well, well


Tough end to the season, but I am excited to see what the upcoming moves are.

[Soapy]

Well, well, well


Tough end to the season, but I am excited to see what the upcoming moves are.

i can't complain too much since at one point, looked like we weren't even going to make the playoffs. still feel like we should have beaten cincy though

[Soapy]

Veterans Miller and Hicks among day one acquisition for Patriots
The New England Patriots have signed 35-year old edge rusher Von Miller along with 34-year old nose tackle Akiem Hicks to their roster.

Both one-year deals, Miller is slated to make $7.54 million in 2024 while Hicks' cap hit is $5.99 million, likely replacing free agent Davon Godchaux as the center piece of New England's 3-4 front.

Hicks spent the 2015 season with New England before signing with the Chicago Bears, where he's played at a high level, recording at least five sacks in each of his last three seasons and had a career year in 2022 when he recorded nine sacks and was a pro bowler.

A former New England nemesis, Miller is on the backend of a borderline Hall of Fame career that involves a Super Bowl MVP and numerous matchups with New England where he terrorized Tom Brady with Denver and most recently Mac Jones after being a Dolphin for the past two seasons. Despite being 35, Miller had 10.5 sacks last season along with sixteen tackles for loss. Those numbers would have made him one of New England's best players on defense last year.

The moves were among the first of a free agency period that has New England's name tied to a bevy of players, including former Patriots Jonathan Jones and Danny Shelton.

[Soapy]

Patriots look to sure up secondary with signing of Ashtyn Davis
Despite having one of the highest paid secondary in football last season, New England finished dead last against the pass, something they're looking to improve upon with the signing of Ashtyn Davis to replace Kyle Dugger who signed a four year, $33.9 million free agent deal with Carolina.

New England got Davis for a fraction of that, signing the former Cal bear to a three year, $11.3 million contract to steal away one of the New York Jets' most versatile defenders. Due to injuries, Davis was asked to play in the box more last season on top of nickel and safety, where he's primarily played at in his four year career. He finished the season with eighty-four tackles along with an interception and four pass breakups.

He'll likely be part of a safety rotation that includes Jordan Poyer and second-year player Malachi Moore.

[Soapy]

Pats continue to improve running game with free agent signing of Tomlinson, fullback Ricard
The New England Patriots have signed one of the better available guards in Laken Tomlinson and the consensus best fullback free agent in Patrick Ricard to one-year deals worth $5.45 million and $4.05 million respectively.

It's a bargain for Tomlinson who figures to slide in at right guard and replace either Matt Jones or Nick Ford if Jones slides to center. The nine-year veteran out of Duke is still an above average offensive guard in the league at 32, a position New England struggled last season to replace Shaq Mason following the trade of the longtime Patriot.

For Ricard, he remains one of the highest paid fullbacks in the league and stays in the AFC East after scoring three touchdowns last year with the Miami Dolphins. He'll likely continue to play a major role in New England's offense under new offensive coordinator Marcus Brady.