![]() He will run seams, crossers, inverted crossers (post-corner style routes), and be a red-zone threat. However, Gesicki will be a big factor in their passing game as a move piece who ultimately will run most of his routes out of the slot. We'll see if all that holds when they have their full complement of wideouts and are drilling the run game more in camp. Besides not showing much run-game stuff in the spring, the Pats were also short-handed at wide receiver, so the tight ends got a lot of reps. ![]() In the interest of not overreacting to what was truly a passing camp in the spring for the Patriots offense, I'm still not sure how heavily the Pats will lean into two-tight end sets or how they'll handle early-down roles at tight end. ![]() Again, this will be on O'Brien and Adrian Klemm to coach around a weakness at offensive tackle. But we need to see how the rookies look before making that switch. If any rookie interior linemen shine in the summer, I'm also not against kicking Onwenu back out to right tackle, with Andrews, Mafi, or Sow taking over at right guard. Anderson had the best tape out of the group last season and has the most athletic upside to give the Pats some foot speed on the edge. Brown should start out of their in-house options, and my preference would be that Calvin Anderson wins the other job out of camp. Still, after Trent Brown's season a year ago and the speed bumps in the spring, it's hard even to trust him to be consistent for an entire season. Now, there's a trickle-down theory where Hopkins signs, giving the Pats pass-catchers who can help keep Mac clean by getting open, and BOB will understand their deficiencies and coach around them. With that being said about the OT market, offensive tackle remains the biggest concern with the Patriots current roster. For those reasons, Dugger has the best chance of receiving a contract extension this summer. Plus, safeties are typically more affordable than more expensive pieces on defense, such as elite edge rushers or corners. For the 2020 draft picks, that leaves Kyle Dugger, who plays a key position that just took a leadership and top-tier talent hit with Devin McCourty's retirement. The next logical choice would be Josh Uche, but he's only had one season of production and is a part-time player in Bill Belichick's defense (37.8% of snaps in 2022). However, the Pats drafted three mid-round rookies capable of developing at guard to keep in the pipeline for a potential Onwenu departure next offseason, and they may have changed their thinking about paying a non-premium position like guard a top-of-market contract. The Patriots have a recent history of trying to retain interior offensive linemen with Shaq Mason's extension and even applying the franchise tag to Joe Thuney in 2020 that would suggest Mike Onwenu is the next logical guard to stick in New England.
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