The Patriots are in a soft rebuild state and can avoid a full rebuild by nailing this off season.

Sound the Alarms, the Patriots failed to make the the AFC Championship game in 2019 and finished seven and nine in 2020, failing to make the playoffs. Get rid of all the key players on defense to secure the top quarterback, who will have to throw the ball seventy plus times a game to make up for the lack of defense. Right?!? Wrong! 

The Patriots aren't as bad off as people think but need to nail this offseason and set themselves up for next offseason. If they fail, then panic. Quarterback play must be addressed but as a Torono Blue Jays' fan, that last thing the Patriots wanna do is finish selling out. Nobody wants to go through near 30 years of mediocrity again.

Matthew Stafford is a solid quarterback but He'll be 33 in February. Pro football network ranks Stafford as the 12th best quarterback in the nfl. If lucky, he'll play 5-7 years. Is he worth paying a first round pick or more, or is the value not worth that price? I could see a second round but idk about a first. That is just me being cautious though as a risk calculator. 

The New England Patriots finished the 2020 season with the seventh best defense according to the pro-football reference. The Patriots have a decent offensive line and two good running backs when healthy. I understand that they have players to re-sign but the team is closer to a soft rebuild than a hard.

The defense has room for improvement, although they were ranked seventh but the main concern is the offense. 

First, because nobody knows anything about the quarterback situation, we cannot say with full certainty that Stidham could not be the long term answer. We suspect or assume that to be the case but only the Patriots know. Either way, that position must be addressed, even if it's just signing a responsible game manager like Fitzpatrick or Tyrod. Something they thought they could get out of Hoyer and Newton.

Secondly, The Patriots need to acquire and develop their pass catching unit. Izzo has come a long way from being a seventh round draft pick but he is still just a number two tight end, probably near the 48th best.

Meyers they developed but Olszewski really didn't look that great but he also looks like a timing route runner. The Patriots couldn't throw those routes in 2020. That was Newton's weakness and what people refer to as the Brady offense or as I call it the air west spread. I wrote about it back in May.

The Patriots offense is made up of 3 offenses, and the Patriots did modified or open it for Newton via option runs. The three offense are the west coast which provides the timing aspect. The Spread and the Air Raid. Newton should've been a perfect fit. It's the perfect system for an accurate mobile quarterback. Although Brady ran it okay, he limited the Patriots with lack of mobility.

I believe the Patriots pass catchers, although they struggled to get separation, were better than their rankings; especially when considering they were catching passes thrown to their bubble and not to them, or they were completely ignored when they should've been getting the rock.

Nick Caley and Troy Brown must do a better job with developing the pass catching aspect of their position. Over the Past three years, we have heard how great of blockers the Patriots passing catchers are but how they cannot get separation. That's unacceptable, unless the team is just going to run it on every play.

Also if the Patriots can, they need to move Harry to a U tight end. They have Asiasi who is their inline Y tight end and they have the backfield H tight end in Keene but they haven't had a true U tight end since Tim Wright, another WR convert. For reference, U tight end Trey Burton came into the NFL at 6'2" 224 LBS, Harry Is 6'4" 225 LBS. Burton now weights 236. Harry can easily add that.

Harry is not working out at receiver and his blocking is good but isn't the best, most U or move tight ends aren't great blockers. It's a risk but the Patriots need to do something with their former first rounder.

In 2020, the Patriots pass catchers were getting open a handful of times a piece each game but all three quarterbacks, when under center failed to get them the ball, when the pass catchers found their windows. A better quarterback can take advantage of that but the Patriots need to upgrade their pass catchers. 

In the free agent market on offense for the weapons, the Patriots need to target lower tier number ones and Number twos. Nothing less. A bunch of number twos can be as good as a number one with an average or better quarterback. Most teams only have one number one corner .

Speaking of Corners, JC Jackson is an elite number two but as a number one, he is a lower tier benefiting from Gilmore. I would do my best as the Patriots to hang on to Gilmore and Jackson as long as possible. I would not over pay either to hang on to either.

With the patriots need to pick up a pass catcher in the draft in the first three rounds that is ready to produce and if one falls to day three, they must grab them if the opportunity presents itself, regardless of who they already drafted.

Lastly, special teams cannot be ignored. Brandon Bolden is coming back but the Patriots need to secure a gunner if Slater retires. Preferably one who can contribute elsewhere. 

The Patriots should look to drafting Riley Patterson from Memphis or to Signing free agent Jonathan Song. Both have no issues kicking over 50. See Song's scouting tape if you doubt him. The Patriots have Folk but should look to secure the position with one of the two accurate long leg kickers. He'll bring in both and have a three way kicker competition in 2021.