FOXBORO, Mass. — After a forgettable 2022 season, the New England Patriots made some notable alterations to their skill-position teams.
Within the opening days of NFL free company, they swapped out high receiver Jakobi Meyers for JuJu Smith-Schuster, underperforming tight finish Jonnu Smith for Mike Gesicki and gifted however injury-prone working again Damien Harris for James Robinson.
Smith-Schuster lacks Meyers’ sturdiness and reference to quarterback Mac Jones, however he brings better run-after-catch potential and has been the extra productive pass-catcher in his profession. Gesicki gained’t supply a lot as a blocker however is only a 12 months faraway from a 73-catch season. Robinson was a dangerous play, as he posted career-worst numbers final season in his return from a torn Achilles. However he rushed for greater than 1,000 yards in 2020 and the Patriots hope he can present extra versatility than Harris because the No. 2 choice behind Rhamondre Stevenson.
However many followers nonetheless had been clamoring for extra weapons, and the Patriots largely ignored these pleas throughout final week’s 2023 NFL Draft. Their 12-man draft class featured simply two offensive talent gamers: sixth-round receivers Kayshon Boutte and Demario Davis, who had been chosen with the 187th and 210th general picks. Each might want to earn roster spots in coaching camp. New England got here out of the draft with zero tight ends — regardless of this 12 months’s class being considered because the deepest in current reminiscence — and no working backs.
So, did Invoice Belichick encompass Jones with sufficient expertise to reenergize the Patriots’ offense this season? Certainly one of their newcomers had an emphatic response to that query on Tuesday.
“Most undoubtedly,” Smith-Schuster mentioned in his first information convention at Gillette Stadium. “We undoubtedly have sufficient. We’ve obtained guys that may run down the sphere. We’ve obtained guys that may do quite a lot of various things. What’s loopy about this offense that I didn’t find out about till I obtained right here is that there’s guys that play each methods. There’s guys that may play receiver, that may play within the backfield. Seeing that you may have so many various weapons with these gamers, it simply provides Mac these alternatives to do no matter he needs.”
Smith-Schuster possible was referring to cornerback/receiver/return man Marcus Jones, who performed in all three phases final season as a Patriots rookie. Outdoors of Jones, the three veteran signees and the 2 late-round wideouts, the Patriots’ skill-position group consists of wideouts DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, Tyquan Thornton, Lynn Bowden and Tre Nixon; working backs Stevenson, Pierre Robust, Ty Montgomery, Kevin Harris and J.J. Taylor; and tight ends Hunter Henry, Matt Sokol, Scotty Washington and undrafted rookie Johnny Lumpkin.