The preseason rankings are piling up as the 2024 NFL season draws nearer, predicting the fortunes of all 32 teams in the league for the upcoming season.
After a spring full of major changes, the overall consensus regarding the New England Patriots’ performance in the upcoming months seems to be very poor. Yahoo Sports!’s most recent power rankings further reinforced this sentiment.
Expectations weren’t too high for the Patriots, who were ranked as the 31st-best club in the NFL, only one position above last place in their NFL offseason power rankings. The only team ranked worse than New England was the Carolina Panthers.
Despite being far from where the Patriots would like to be, the upcoming season doesn’t appear to be that bad for New England. There is cause for hope with this club, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Frank Schwab, who lists Drake Maye as a key player in their success:
“North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye, selected by the Patriots in the first round, will guide the team into a completely new era alongside head coach Jerod Mayo… If Maye succeeds, it will be far easier for New England to restore… If his aggressiveness doesn’t become a major issue when it comes to turnovers, he possesses all the necessary talents to succeed.”Schwab, Frank, Yahoo! Sports
Similar to the majority of the Patriots’ rebuild, a great deal of accountability falls onto Maye’s shoulder.
The 21-year-old signal-caller is seen to be among the most physically gifted talents in this draft class and is capable of making all the throws required, but he still needs to improve technically.
Things in New England might get a little unstable in the interim, but that change within Maye will happen eventually. As they continue to lay the groundwork for this rebuild, it is the reason they finished as the second-worst team prestige unit.
Though the group has made some improvements over the previous few offseason months, wide receiver is still one of the few weaknesses that New England could stand to fill.
Ridley would have undoubtedly been an excellent upgrade at wide receiver, potentially making the offense more balanced for when Maye gets the green light to start. Unfortunately, that major signing didn’t happen, but New England still made solid moves.
By drafting Ja’Lynn Polk on the second day and doubling down on receivers with Javon Baker on the third day, Maye now has two promising young targets to develop alongside him, staying in sync with their franchise quarterback’s timeline.
It’s evident that this rebuild won’t be a quick fix, possibly leading to another rough year in terms of wins and losses, but the key pieces for the franchise’s future are clearly set.
With a strong defensive unit to support them, there’s a chance the Patriots could surpass the grim expectations set for them before the season starts. However, it remains to be seen how new head coach Jerod Mayo will handle this challenging task in his first year.
Regardless, the Patriots can only improve from here.
