Patriots have decisions to make with the roster moves.

The general consensus is that the New England Patriots offense is going to run through the tight ends and running game. That's been the consensus since both Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith were signed back in the spring. Yet people are talking about keeping a plethora of receivers, while getting going thin at the other two positions. 

Before Dalton Keene got injured I had the thought of the Patriots going heavy at both Running back and tight end, while only carrying four receivers plus Matthew Slater, while loading the practice squad with extra receivers. My thoughts were to try to prevent the situation they're in now. 

Although the Patriots have Jacob Johnson who played tight end for the Stuttgart Scorpions in 2018 and put up decent numbers, Devin Asiasi is viewed as the only true tight end. How is the offense supposed to flow through the tight ends versus Philadelphia when they only have one healthy but they have like four or five extra receivers? The Answer is, it cannot regardless of how well Asiasi plays versus Philly, unless Johnson is going to.be truly used as a tight end. And then it's still unlikely.

Smith and Henry are said to likely be healthy come week one but what happens if they both go down again during the season, will the Patriots find themselves in the same situation?

Before Dalton Keene got placed on injured reserve, I posed the roster question to Evan Lazar and Alex Barth. Lazar said he also thought about it. And said, "it all comes down to the development of Gunner Olszewski. If he can show he's capable of being the number four receiver, then it makes sense, if not then the Patriots have to carry at least a fifth receiver." Barth really didn't say much if anything.

The reviews on Olszewski have been mixed. Some have said he looks like he's developing, even though he didn't get many targets against Washington. Others have said he's a bum and sight the failed catch on the overthrow versus the WFT as an example.

I've said several times that if the offense gets away from the running game, tight ends, and play action and has to rely on the receivers that the team is screwed. Especially with Cam Newton being the quarterback. To expect another middle of the pack season.

Let's be real, in a run heavy offense or power run, Newton is a threat with his legs and just good enough with his arm to lead the team. If the team has to switch to a more pass centric offense, Newton becomes a liability. And while Mac Jones is a superior passer than Newton, he's still not ready. The Patriots can start him but there's going to be growing pains and there's no way to guarantee he'll improve or them like Bledsoe did after his rookie season.

At the end of the day, it makes sense to do one of two things, if you're the New England Patriots. Go heavy at the other two positions or adjust the offense now to be more receiver friendly. Meaning less multiple tight end sets and more three receiver sets. It may even require more shotgun and pistol formations. Basically become a hybrid of the 2020 Patriots and the Auburn style passing offense. That's not something I wanna see and I doubt it's something majority of those who watched the Patriots offense over the last twenty plus years want to see.

The Patriots have to decide what style of offense they wanna be going into the season and build the initial team towards that. Everyone is hyped about how Newton will do with the new tight ends but if they're down and the cupboard is bare, does anyone trust him to find success with the receivers? If they do, they're in the minority. The clock is ticking ever so closer to opening day. Sometimes it gets hard to say but in Bill We Trust.