Though the New England Patriots did their due diligence via free agency and the draft of filling holes on the roster, it hardly means their depth chart is flawless. New England can sign whoever, but the talent that walked away from the team during free agency left a big void that was too big to fill, which will cause some issues during the 2019 season.
For the Patriots, there are three positions that still have holes and are going to be considered weaknesses on the depth chart. Let’s talk about them.
3. Wide receiver
Considering the Patriots just spent a first-round pick on the position in this year’s draft and they will have a bunch of talented veterans competing in training camp, this position may seem like a surprise addition to this list. But there’s more to it than that.
Julian Edelman is the only lock for the 53-man roster come September. Outside of that, there is rookie N’Keal Harry, who will take time to learn the offense and won’t be much of a factor early in the season. Phillip Dorsett is a serviceable wideout, but nothing more than that. Demaryius Thomas is still recovering from his Achilles injury, and may even start off the season on PUP, which will seriously limit his ability to learn the offense with live reps.
Josh Gordon cannot be relied upon because he still has to be reinstated. Dontrelle Inman could be a rotational player, but New England was able to sign him in May for a reason. Outside of that, Maurice Harris was promising during OTAs, but the remainder of the group (Braxton Berrios, Jakobi Meyers, Ryan Davis, Damoun Patterson, and Hunter Olszewski) still have a ton to prove before they earn a roster spot.
There are still a lot of questions to be answered at the position, which is why it lands on this list. Towards the end of the season, the wideouts more than likely won’t be an issue for the team. But growing pains will surely be in play for the first few months of the 2019 season.
2. Offensive tackle
Now that Trent Brown is a Raider, there is a lot to be desired depth-wise at the offensive tackle positions for the Patriots. Isaiah Wynn is expected to be the regular starter at left tackle and Marcus Cannon will still be on the opposite end, but there is no stability behind them.
LaAdrian Waddle signed with the Bills this offseason. Who can play tackle if Cannon or Wynn were to go down with an injury in-season? Cannon has missed 12 games over the past two seasons, so missing time in 2019 is a definite possibility for the ninth-year player.
New England’s third-round pick Yodny Cajuste is a project and should not be expected to contribute at all in 2019. Cole Croston (LT) and Dan Skipper (RT) are listed as the backups on the team’s official website. That could become problematic.
1. Tight end
The Patriots no longer have Rob Gronkowski. Does this need to be further explained as to why the tight end position is No. 1 on the list?
New England will be without Ben Watson, who is expected to be the starting tight end, for the first four weeks of the regular season because of a suspension. That leaves the likes of Matt LaCosse, Stephen Anderson, Ryan Izzo and Andrew Beck to fill the void in Watson’s absence. The potential is there, but the production isn’t, which makes the position something to be desired for the Patriots.
Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels will have to work their magic to make sure that opposing defenses take the Patriots’ tight end seriously. A weak tight end could cause a chain reaction. The defense can pay more attention to wideouts and running backs, specifically in the middle of the field, which will mean that Tom Brady has less space to find an open target.
It’s important that the tight ends produce at some capacity this upcoming season for the offense to stay balanced. But that is easier said than done given what’s on the depth chart.
