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The Patriots have been “streamlining” their offense and focusing more on certain concepts, such as wide zone, and newer verbiage in 2022. With that, there will be growing pains that the team is betting on paying off in the long run. Thus far in training camp, the offense has been inconsistent. As the Patriots move forward, the most important area to watch will be pass protection.
A lot of factors go into successful pass protection: the offensive line’s skill and continuity, the quarterback’s decision making, pass catchers getting open and how well running backs and tight ends help out in the protection when needed. In an offense with new verbiage and new coaching, all of these factors are question marks that need to be proven to work.
On the surface, the Patriots should have the talent to have a great offensive line with Trent Brown, David Andrews, Michael Onwenu, Isaiah Wynn and rookie Cole Strange. However, the unit has not been as good as the talent would suggest in training camp. With a month until the season opener, there is time, but with Wynn moving to right tackle and Strange debuting in the NFL, their time is beginning to run short.
Patriots’ running backs have generally been good in pass protection during Bill Belichick’s tenure, but this year has some concerns. Rhamondre Stevenson had struggles in pass protection last year and needs to improve and the Patriots drafted two rookie running backs (Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris) and it is reasonable to think that at least one will play. Pass protecting can be one of the biggest adjustments for a rookie running back to make. The tight ends can play an important role in protection when not running routes, but similar to the offensive line they will need to adjust to new verbiage and some new players in new spots next to them.
New England’s wide receiver group has the potential to be the best that it has been since 2018, which will be a great thing for the Patriots offense. However, it would not be surprising if there are some early season hiccups with a new scheme and some new routes to run. The group is also not naturally good at creating separation, which can throw off timing especially in quick passing situations. Mac Jones will also have a significant load on his shoulders. It is his responsibility to set protections at the line of scrimmage (in concert with Andrews) and he also needs to be able to make quick decisions and get rid of the ball accurately. The longer he holds onto the ball, the higher likelihood of a sack. This has happened multiple times in training camp.
This brings us to the final piece of the puzzle: coaching. Matt Patricia is likely to be the new offensive coordinator even if he doesn’t have the title. Joe Judge will also be coaching quarterbacks for the first time in his career. Both of them are solid assistant coaches, but they will be learning how to navigate new roles for the first time while also implementing updates to an offense that will be unfamiliar to many players. That’s a tall task for anyone, even if Belichick is having significant involvement.
The Patriots have the potential to have a good season and make the playoffs. Their roster is better than a year ago and several rookies from 2021 (Jones, Stevenson, Christian Barmore) looked primed to make second-year jumps. However, the offensive changes the team is implementing have looked shaky thus far in practice. The biggest area of concern for this writer is pass protection, and as outlined above there are many factors that can make pass protection successful or unsuccessful. With Week 1 only a month away, the Patriots need to start figuring out how to keep defenders away from Jones. If they can, they’ll have a good start to the season and have a great chance to make the playoffs. If they can’t, it could throw their whole season off.