On Sunday, the New England Patriots lost 22-12 to the Miami Dolphins, ending any chance they had at making the playoffs. In a statement made on Instagram, Patriots quarterback Cam Newton said he wants to help be the solution and bring the Patriots back to the playoffs next season. Newton had everyone fooled the first couple weeks of the season, torching defenses. However, since coming back from the Covid-19 list, Newton has been subpar. New England has never been known to be big spenders in free agency. The Patriots will have $70 million in cap space this upcoming offseason. What to do with that money? Here are a few key players that can boost this roster:
Quarterback:
Re-sign Cam Newton for vet minimum. I know I just said he has been awful. The upside is he gets another season with this playbook and can be great competition for whoever else they bring in.
Draft A Quarterback:
Wait until the second round to draft a star quarterback in this star-studded draft class. A quarterback that will fit well into this system is Alabama quarterback Mac Jones. Jones is a Heisman hopeful who put up stellar numbers this season. Newton’s running style offense doesn’t really fit well into the system they have in place; add in the fact Mac Jones has a rocket for an arm, and Newton has trouble throwing it further than 10 yards.
Draft A Tight End:
As of right now, the Patriots have the 15th overall pick. I know they picked two tight ends in last year’s draft, but so far, they haven’t panned out. If Florida Gators tight end Kyle Pitts is still on the board at 15, the Patriots would be stupid not to take him. Pitts is in the conversation of Kelce or Kittle. He is 6’6” and weighs 239 pounds. Pitts can do it all. This season he worked on his blocking to be more of a complete tight end.
Wide Receiver:
Two wide receivers to keep an eye out for are Allen Robinson II and JuJu Smith-Schuster. JuJu hasn’t had a great game as a number one wide receiver since AB left the Steelers. Allen Robinson has had the worst luck with quarterbacks since he entered the league. If you add in Kyle Pitts and Mac Jones, the Patriots offense will be lethal.
Defense:
The Patriots have a lot of young studs on defense under contract for cheap. The one person they will need to re-sign this offseason is JC Jackson. Jackson will be CB1 with Stephon Gillmore likely out for half of next season following the injury he sustained in Sunday’s loss. With Hightower and Chug coming back, the Patriots defense is likely to make a statement.
For more NFL coverage, click here.
For the full Patriots 2020 schedule and results, click here.
