Patriots Change: Bill Belichick Reveals New NFL Scouting Combine Plans

Throughout his two-plus decades as head coach of the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick has been a fixture at the NFL's annual Scouting Combine.

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will apparently not be taking his talents to Indianapolis this week.

Despite choosing to send an abbreviated coaching contingent to the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, the Patriots confirmed on Thursday that the 70-year-old would be doing his scouting work from Foxboro.

Many expected Belichick – who is typically a mainstay at the week-long event at Lucas Oil Stadium – to at least make an appearance to personally meet and observe more than 300 collegiate prospects hoping to earn a selection in the upcoming NFL Draft.

However, it is highly unlikely that Belichick makes the trip – save for a last-minute change of mind, that is.

Instead, New England is being represented at the Combine by wide receivers coach Troy Brown, cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino, special teams coaches Cam Achord and Joe Houston and Joe Judge, in an undisclosed role.

Judge’s presence in Indianapolis is somewhat surprising, given that he is facing a somewhat uncertain future within the organization. The installation of new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien as the new quarterbacks coach removed Judge from the role he held in 2022. Both Judge and former offensive play-caller Matt Patricia presided over one of the NFL’s most inefficient offenses, finishing 7th-worst in total yards while scoring only an average of only 18.6 points per game.

With his days on the offensive staff likely over, many have speculated that Judge may return to special teams. However, his role for the upcoming season has yet to be confirmed by the team.

Besides Judge and the four position coaches, the Patriots also have members of their scouting department and front office presently at the Combine.

As for Belichick, he and the rest of his staff were able to get an advanced look at several draft hopefuls during their time coaching the West team during the East-West Shrine Bowl. Defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington also served as a defensive coordinator at the Senior Bowl.

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