New England Patriots - NESN.com
The Patriots are expected to undergo a complete overhaul with Mike Vrabel at the helm, which should mean few people’s jobs should be safe.
Drake Maye and Christian Gonzalez fit the bill under the exceptions to that philosophy. But how New England approaches this offseason could make or break the franchise.
After discussing the franchise tag market with NESN.com’s Sean McGuire on the latest “Foxboro Rush” podcast, NESN’s George Balekji and Travis Thomas took a quick look at the running back room.
Given this week’s Tee Higgins report, Thomas believes upgrading at running back should be a bigger priority. One way to help would be to create a dynamic running game. Thomas suggested that the Patriots could trade back from the No. 4 pick in this year’s draft to select Heisman Trophy finalist Ashton Jeanty.
Balekji pushed back and noted that teams like the Philadelphia Eagles and Detriot Lions had established offensive lines before adding Saquon Barkley and Jahmyr Gibbs, respectively. Offensive line should still be New England’s priority, but it still could add a running back. The Patriots could consider drafting the likes of TreVeyon Henderson, Dylan Sampson or Cam Skattebo in the later rounds to compliment Rhamondre Stevenson, who still needs to resolve his ball security issues.
