1 – The Patriots are still more than a week from the opening of training camp. New England, like the rest of the NFL, is two months from the opening of the 2023 season. And it will be even longer before we really know what kind of team Bill Belichick has this fall and what individual players are going to accomplish.
So, what better way-too-early time than now to predict who will take home the individual team awards for New England in 2023 when 17 games (or more??!!) are in the books? And why not do so with a hopeful, optimistic expectation for how things might just potentially play out for the Patriots this bold new football year?
We’ll kick off the seven-months-too-early Patriots’ postseason awards with the optimistic MVP: Mac Jones. If the Patriots are going to have a good season, compete for the playoffs, stay afloat in the AFC East and be entertaining from early September through early January it all has to start with the third-year QB Jones doing his job at a high level. So goes the quarterback position in the NFL. It’s make or break time for Jones, meaning it’s make or break time for the Patriots. But if good things happen, Jones will get much of the credit.
2 – Patriots’ 2023 too-early, too-optimistic Offensive Player of the Year: Rhamondre Stevenson. New England’s now third-year running back was pretty much the only offensive player who improved under Matt Patricia’s watch a year ago. Now, with Damien Harris gone, Stevenson could be asked to carry even more of the productive load in the backfield. He’s got all the ability to do just that. If he stays healthy a season with 2,000 yards from scrimmage is a real possibility.
3 – Patriots’ 2023 too-early, too-optimistic Defensive Player of the Year: Matthew Judon. Judon has gone to four straight Pro Bowls, the last two as the leader of the New England pass rush. He’s set new career highs in each of his first two seasons in New England with 12.5 and 15.5 sacks, respectively. He’ll be leaned on once again to be the key cog on the defensive front that should be the foundation of the defense as a whole. The unit faces stiff competition from elite QBs more often than not, so Judon’s pressure will be critical.
4 – Patriots’ 2023 too-early, too-optimistic Coach of the Year: Bill O’Brien. In a three-year span the Patriots have gone from a top-five offensive coordinator to an ill-advised “experiment” in the role back to a potential top-five offensive coordinator. O’Brien has already shown his impact on the practice field, the players respect him, at the very least, and there are relatively high hopes as to what he’ll do for the offense. O’Brien knows what he’s doing. He’ll be expected to field an offense that at the very least looks competent and competitive each week.
5 – Patriots’ 2023 too-early, too-optimistic Rookie of the Year: Christian Gonzalez. If Gonzalez isn’t the Patriots’ best rookie it could mean one of two things. Either New England has two really good rookies on defense (Keion White or Marte Mapu, anyone????) or the cornerback position is going to be a problem. Gonzalez has all the tools to be at least a competitive rookie in coverage and maybe much, much more than that. Sauce Gardner set the bar pretty high for rookie corners a year ago in New York. It’s up to Gonzalez to live up to high expectations as he slides into the No. 1 job in New England.
6 – Patriots’ 2023 too-early, too-optimistic Comeback Player of the Year: Kendrick Bourne. After a career-year in his first season in New England in 2021, Bourne joined Jones as the faces of frustration during Patricia-led offensive error. See what we did there? There are plenty of questions about how the wide receiver position will come together this fall, but Bourne has the versatility, talent, energy and opportunity to be a huge part of the puzzle in the passing game. Bourne could easily take the bull by the horns and be a 1,000-yard target this fall. Trent Brown would also be a really strong candidate in this category, but we all know the awards usually go to skill-position players.
7 – Patriots’ 2023 too-early, too-optimistic Breakout Player of the Year: Christian Barmore. After an enticing rookie season Barmore failed to live up to expectations in his sophomore campaign, in part due to injury. He has all the size and athleticism to be a beast in the middle of the defensive front. He can make life easier on his teammates and much harder on opposing offenses. If he reaches his potential it will be a big step for a defense that is trying to prove that it can play at a high level against high-end competition.