Ranking the top 5 acquisitions by the Patriots this offseason

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With today being the NFL’s deadline to have rosters cut down to the regular season total of 53, I thought it would be interesting to rank the top five moves that the Patriots have made this offseason. This list takes into account free agency, coaching hires, and drafted players.

5: Demario Douglas: When the Patriots drafted Douglas in the sixth round, most people thought it would be a nice add for camp/preseason, but instead he has taken the team by storm. Douglas has constantly been a top target at training camp, as he has caught the second most balls (42) behind Juju Smith-Schuster (43). The limited game time in preseason may tell us all we need to know about how Bill Belichick feels about him. At the moment, it certainly looks like Douglas will be a big time player for this team, as his quickness and explosiveness will be huge for this team.

4: Christian Gonzalez: As you could probably tell, I really liked the Patriots 2023 draft class. With Gonzalez, it could very well be the case that the Patriots got the best player at the cornerback position in this draft when they took him 17th overall. Many considered him a top 10 talent, but his surprising draft night fall leaves this as possibly the steal of the draft. At 6’2, 200 pounds, Gonzalez matches his terrific physical traits with good footwork and solid movements. This is the kind of athlete most coaches dream about when they describe their perfect corner. The team has been looking for that top guy since Stephon Gilmore left in 2021.

3: Ezekiel Elliott: This one may come as a bit of a surprise to some as Elliott is slated to be the backup running back, but I think his presence can be huge for this team. It’s fair to say Rhemondre Stevenson was the best player on this offense in 2022, having Elliott will not only free up Stevenson at time, but also get him some much needed rest to be even better late in games. Elliott still as some juice left in him as well as he is coming off a 12 touchdown season with the Cowboys, so he should be a good goal-line running back for this team, that has had its struggles in the red zone.

2: Juju Smith-Schuster: As I have mentioned before, Juju has been the most targeted guy while at camp as he looks to take over that Jekobi Meyers role from last season. Meyers, someone who served as sort of a security blanket last year for Mac Jones, needed to be replaced by someone with similar intangibles, and Juju fits the mold perfectly and may be even better. Coming off a championship with the Chiefs, Juju will bring important championship pedigree to a Patriots team that has gotten very young, very fast.

1; Bill O’Brien: Someone that has coached with the Patriots and Belichick before (2007-2011), O’Brien brings stability to a job that had the complete opposite of that a year ago. With Matt Patricia calling plays, there were many negatives including the pause in the growth of a second-year quarterback and rising trust issues between QB1 and the head coach. O’Brien, who mastered the two tight end sets in his early Patriots days, will look to have the same effect with Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki. Having an elite mind at the offensive coordinator position will do wonders for this offense and should leave fans expecting big jumps from lots of players including the biggest one being Mac Jones.

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