It’s a simple question with a complex answer. It honestly is.
Are the Patriots a better football team today than they were the last time we saw them play, getting unceremoniously ousted from the postseason at the hands of Josh Allen and the bullying Bills?
“That certainly is a complicated question,” Patriots director of player personnel Matt Groh said immediately after the conclusion of the 2022 NFL Draft, a response that’s as truthful as it is deflective.
Sure, the talent acquisition opportunities of the draft are now behind Groh and Bill Belichick. As are the options presented by the bulk of free agent signings and offseason trades.
Maybe there will be a few more signings, especially now that New England won’t have to factor such deals into their compensatory pick formula that Belichick so prioritizes, probably a bit too much.
Maybe there will be another trade or two.
But the talent we see on the Patriots’ paper right now is the bulk of the talent we’ll see on the field in Foxborough come September.
And, if we’re being offseason honest, it’s hard to argue that things look much better after a few months of roster comings and goings. A strong argument can even be made to the contrary.
No. 1 cornerback and arguably best defensive player J.C.
Jackson took the free agent dollars and ran to Los Angeles. Top offensive lineman and maybe overall offensive player Shaq Mason was traded to Tampa Bay to seemingly create a little cap space. Kyle Van Noy, possibly the team’s best linebacker last fall, was cut and remains unsigned, as does veteran linebacker leader Dont’a Hightower. Oh, and longtime offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels left town to take over the Raiders.
But it’s certainly not all been bad.
A trade with the Dolphins brought a potential impact receiver in DeVante Parker. Jabrill Peppers was a nice addition to the versatile, athletic mix in the back end of the defense. Trade addition Mack Wilson may compete for playing time at linebacker. And first-round pick Cole Strange should be in line for a starting job at guard, regardless of whether he was taken too high in the draft or not.
There is also room for growth and improvement from within. Groh noted that the Patriots are “excited” about the team’s crop of returning linebackers, a group that includes young players like Cameron McGrone, Josh Uche, Anfernee Jennings and Ronnie Perkins. Impact rookies from a year ago like Mac Jones, Christian Barmore and Rhamondre Stevenson obviously have impressive upside, especially if they can take the Year 2 Jump that Belichick so covets.
Certainly reasons for optimism in New England can be fabricated.
But, at this point in the offseason process, reasons for doubt and concern can very much be calculated for a team who’s offensive coaching staff is built heavily around former special teams coach Joe Judge and former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.
The Patriots are clearly a championship chasing chalice right now that may be filled to its midway point with liquid.
But is it half full or half empty?
Can we really say that the Patriots are a better team right now in a highly competitive AFC East and overall conference where most teams can seemingly make that argument?
“That is a complicated question,” Groh reiterated a second time to emphasize the uncertainty and maybe push back against obvious doubt. “So to take the easy way out, that answer is yet to reveal itself. We'll keep working. We are going to continue to try and find ways to make this team better, so I think it would be very early to compare this team that is a work in progress to last year's team that played 17 regular season games and was fortunate enough and earned their way into the playoffs.
“It's just the team is still such a work in progress right now that it is really difficult. We've had some needs. We've tried to address those needs. We've tried to get better. But there's not a person who's answering these questions for any team around the league that's not saying the same thing. So I appreciate the question. It's just a little difficult to answer right now.”
Are the Patriots a better football team today than last we saw them?
That’s indeed a complicated question, even if it simply doesn’t look at that way on paper.
