1. Now that the Patriots likely will not make the postseason, some attention has been given towards the future, particularly at the quarterback position. It’s becoming more apparent Cam Newton will likely not be re-signed, so what should the Patriots do at the position? Our master plan would be to have a true competition between three players during training camp next summer. One would be Jarrett Stidham, as there’s no harm at all bringing him back next season. He will be on the third year of his rookie deal, so only will have a cap hit of just over $1 million. Moving on from him this offseason makes little sense. Then the team should bring in two others — one via the draft and a veteran via free agency/trade. The goal should be taking a rookie in the first two rounds, but not reach for one in Round 1 since the team has a few other big needs (wide receiver, tight end, etc.). And then add a veteran with experience that would be willing to mentor the young rookie until he’s ready to play — someone like Ryan Fitzpatrick comes to mind. An open competition makes the most sense and gives the Patriots options instead of committing to one player going into training camp. It also gives them the option to go the route Miami did this season with starting a veteran at the beginning of the year before turning things over to a rookie when he’s ready.
2. Adding a No. 1 receiver this offseason would do wonders for the Patriots receivers because it would allow their current group to fall into their natural roles. Troy Aikman put it perfectly on the FOX broadcast last week that the players right now are playing a spot or two higher on the depth chart than they should. It also will help getting Julian Edelman back and healthy. This will allow for Damiere Byrd (if he returns), N’Keal Harry and Jakobi Meyers to slide into WR 3/4 roles. Having a depth chart of WR 1, Edelman, Harry, Meyers and Byrd would be much better than it was this year with Byrd/Meyers being forced to play a WR 1 role.
3. One of the few bright spots for the Patriots in 2020 has been the play of rookie offensive lineman Michael Onwenu. The Michigan product was drafted as a guard in the sixth round, but has done a tremendous job filling in at right tackle. Speaking via video conference Friday, he said he had an idea he’d play different spots on the line in the NFL, but not tackle. “I feel like I have acclimated to tackle well,” he said. “I mean, it’s the same thing [as guard] obviously, just a little bit more space and a little more more athletic guys on the edge. Playing tackle, it’s not so bad. It’s the thing I like.” Onwenu could potentially slide back to the interior this offseason to replace Joe Thuney if he departs via free agency, but him having success at tackle is a cool and unexpected story.
4. While Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson won’t be matched up against Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard, he knows he leads the NFL with nine interceptions and Jackson wants to catch him. “Do you really want me to answer that? I mean, I don’t really look at — X is a great shutdown cornerback,” Jackson said Friday. “He’s got nine picks. I’ve got seven. I’m not too far behind. He motivates me to get more picks.” Jackson has nine takeaways this season and if he records one more he will move into a tie for second in Patriots history for most takeaways in a single season.
5. These next three games will be big for rookie tight ends Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene as with Ryan Izzo on injured reserve, they will be given opportunities to make plays, which hasn’t happened this year. The third-round picks have a combined one catch and one target and the rest of the season will give them a chance to build momentum going into 2021. "I think it's our job to step up and be reliable on the team,” Asiasi said Friday. “Ryan's out, so we're down a guy. So we know we've got to make up for being down one man. We've got Dalton and Jakob [Johnson] with us. I think it's about us just going out there and executing, not doing anything special, not doing anything too crazy. Just going out there, knowing our assignments, everybody doing their job and then executing the way we know we can."
6. While Josh McDaniels will always be the Patriots coach that gets mentioned most when it comes to vacant head-coaching jobs, don’t forget about Jerod Mayo. We wouldn’t be surprised if he gets an interview or two over the next several weeks, and while he may not be ready just yet, he seems to be on the rise and one day will become a NFL head coach.
7. This next week could be interesting at the quarterback position. If the Patriots lose to Miami, they will be eliminated from playoff contention so does that mean they will turn to Stidham Monday night against the Bills? That’s a tough ask for a second-year QB to make his NFL starting debut, but doing it Week 17 against the Jets really won’t show much. Now if the Patriots win, this likely won’t happen and it will be Newton starting against Buffalo.
