Analyst Outlines Patriots' Biggest Offseason Need

The New England Patriots have a busy offseason ahead of them.

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) talks to his offensive line in the huddle during second half action at Highmark Stadium where the Buffalo Bills hosted the New England Patriots in Orchard Park on Dec. 22, 2024. / Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's no secret that the New England Patriots have extensive work to do over the coming offseason months.

With another 4-13 season in the books and an abundance of holes on the roster, the Patriots brass will no doubt be turning every stone to improve this squad heading into the 2025 year.

Yet, among their biggest needs on the books could lie within their situation upfront of the offensive line.

New England had consistent problems with their protection spanning across the 2024 season. But now with the offseason upon us, the Patriots could get aggressive in pursuit of stacking the trenches up.

The Athletic's Chad Graff sees the Patriots being ambitious in improving their offensive line –– noting the group as the team's biggest need for this coming offseason, also predicting some major turnover on the starting unit for 2025.

"We’ll make this simple: The offensive line, anywhere on the offensive line. The Patriots need help at pretty much every position on the front five. Left tackle? Great, need it. Right guard? Sure, and move Mike Onwenu outside. There’s a chance that the Patriots will have four new starting offensive linemen in 2025. So look for them to be very active there, both in free agency and the draft."

For both the Patriots' attack through the air and on the ground, the offensive line posed major problems in making either force a consistent threat to score the ball. New England quarterbacks were sacked over 50 times, and the rushing unit was ranked in the bottom ten of the NFL.

With that in mind, the Patriots could be best served taking their offensive line troubles seriously this offseason, investing a premium amount of their assets into the unit up front, even if it does create a situation with four new starters in 2025.

The Patriots could use their financial flexibility of over $100 million in free agency to fix their woes with veterans or go with a young, developmental option by focusing on those guys heavily in the draft. Top prospects like Will Campbell and Kelvin Banks Jr. have been projected to New England early in the scouting process, and it'd be hard to hate the outcome if either came to reality.

Regardless of how it's done, the Patriots should have a vastly different look on the offensive line to start next season.

Especially when trying to facilitate a productive environment for Drake Maye to progress in as a young quarterback, having his protection up to speed is extremely important. Thankfully for the young signal caller, the Patriots and their new coaching regime seem motivated to get the work done.

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