Pats Pulpit
We are in the midst of the NFL offseason, with little going on around the league as a whole and the New England Patriots specifically at the moment. Naturally, this week’s version of our Sunday Patriots Notes is therefore a shortened one.
Naturally, there are always still a few things to talk about. So, let’s dive straight in.
The New England Patriots walked off the field in Santa Clara after Super Bowl LX knowing they needed more around franchise quarterback Drake Maye.
That led to an offseason makeover — one that now has the Patriots’ playmakers ranked as the 10th-best unit in the NFL, according to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell in his annual rankings.
The changes started at wide receiver, as the Patriots released Stefon Diggs before signing Romeo Doubs in free agency. Then came the blockbuster move, when they acquired A.J. Brown in a trade on June 1, putting the finishing touches on what is now a deep wide receiver room.
“[The Patriots] added an elite receiver to the mix after trading for A.J. Brown this summer,“ Barnwell wrote. ”“Brown left Philadelphia after a frustrating 2025 season, but there’s still plenty of evidence that Brown is one of the top wideouts in all of football. A quarterback upgrade to Drake Maye might help Brown, 28, reach the heights we saw from him in 2022 and 2023.
“While there’s a drop-off from Brown to the rest of the lineup, the Patriots are much deeper than they’ve been in years.
“Adding Romeo Doubs to the mix lands the Pats a 26-year-old wideout who ranked 28th in ESPN’s receiver score last season; there’s a possibility that he improves with more regular playing time. With Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte and Kyle Williams all vying for reps, there’s a decent chance New England trades a wideout (likely Boutte) before the start of the season. As it stands, while this isn’t the best wide receiver room in the league, it might be the deepest — albeit one in which Maye likely elevated talent and receiving efficiency across the board last season.“
New England will have to sort out their depth at wide receiver this offseason, which likely ends with a trade of Kayshon Boutte, as Barnwell noted
But the playmakers don’t stop there.
The Patriots added third-round tight end Eli Raridon in the NFL Draft, and he is expected to slot in behind Hunter Henry on the depth chart. In the backfield, Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson return to form one of the league’s better running back tandems.
“Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson were big playmakers at running back. Pats backs ranked fifth in the league in explosive play rate on designed runs last season (14.4%). And with five 50-plus-yard runs, the halfback pair had two more than any other team. Stevenson has dealt with fumble issues as a pro, and Henderson was enough of a liability in pass protection to essentially get forced out...
