What seemed to be up with the pass defense from Week 1 to Weeks 2, 3 and 4? It seemed like against Seattle and the Jets they were able to find the holes every time. Was that more to do with the pass rush not getting to Geno Smith and Aaron Rodgers like they did to Joe Burrow? Or is it more to do with lack of change in coverages from week to week? – Steve McLeod

That's a very good question and it's one that probably doesn't have one single answer. I don't think the pressure has been great in any of the four games, but I would agree that I felt it was slightly better in the opener than it has been since. Burrow and Smith were sacked three times each while Rodgers and Brock Purdy only went down three times total, but overall I feel the pressure hasn't been consistent in any game. I would say the biggest difference for the performance of the Patriots secondary has been related to the opponents. The Bengals were without Tee Higgins and basically without Ja'Marr Chase, who did not practice all summer leading into the game. Seattle, the Jets and Niners had deeper and more talented weapons to worry about, especially the Seahawks. DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxson Smith-Njigba make up a quality trio of receivers and they gave the Patriots trouble. Garrett Wilson might be better than all three, and Allen Lazard and Mike Williams were solid as well. Ty Conklin also enjoyed a strong game, adding to the depth of players to focus on. The Niners talent speaks for itself. So, my guess is the Bengals didn't have their typical personnel available at 100 percent and that helped the defense in the opener and since then the task has gotten tougher.

I read every Q and A on the site and I can't understand why there are almost no offensive line prospects signed to the practice team. Why not, this is by far the weakest part of this team. I look back at all the draft prospects sites from this year and as you would expect all the high-ranking players were drafted. However, there were dozens and dozens of guys who were not drafted or signed as UDFs. Why not sign some maybe they will find a player who would be an upgrade? – David Fogg

The Patriots currently have four offensive linemen (Liam Fornadel, Bryan Hudson, Jalen McKenzie, Caleb Jones) on the practice squad, three of whom were signed from outside the organization. In addition, the team claimed two other offensive linemen off waivers (Trey Jacobs, Zach Thomas) who are currently still on the active 53-man roster. That's a total of six offensive linemen, five signed from outside the organization, who are here in an effort to add depth and possibly develop down the road. Six seems like a reasonable amount of players to work with and potentially develop in an effort to bolster the front. All six are young players that the coaches can work with during the season and if one or two make enough strides to enter into the mix so be it. Jacobs started the Niners game and was serviceable until the end, and he and Thomas finished the Jets game at left tackle and guard, respectively, so there are already signs of future development.

It is apparent that a good offensive line is the base for your offensive football. So why is it that in the rebuild of the Patriots from say even 2022 season has not involved recruiting and drafting real talent on the offensive line? At the moment because of this neglect of not recruiting properly we are at least two years away from properly competing just for a division championship. It is a sad state for Pats fans. I would like your views on this neglect and how quickly it can be solved to allow us to use our first-round draft pick quarterback safely and effectively. – Mohammad Ijaz

You can make a strong argument that the Patriots have failed to build the offensive line over the last few seasons but it's hard to say the team hasn't tried. In 2022, the year you chose to start, the Patriots chose Cole Strange in the first round. He was tabbed as an immediate starter at guard but has battled injuries and also struggled at times. The Patriots also drafted two other offensive linemen late in that draft – Chasen Hines and Andrew Stueber. Neither managed to stick around long. The following year the Patriots drafted three more offensive linemen – Jake Andrews, Sidy Sow and Atonio Mafi. Andrews is currently on injured reserve and Mafi didn't pan out and was released. Sow is still here and returned to the lineup last week after missing three games with an ankle injury. In the most recent draft, the team selected Caedan Wallace and Layden Robinson in the third and fourth rounds. That's a total of eight draft picks spent on offensive linemen over the last three years. And that was two years after New England took Mike Onwenu in the 2020 draft. Again, it's more than fair to say these picks haven't improved the state of the line enough to make a difference, but the effort to do so has been apparent. Let's see how Robinson and Wallace develop, and if Sow can establish himself as a regular starter. That would have things trending in the right direction and using a high pick next year on a potential left tackle would bolster the group. It can turn around that quickly.

Being a few weeks into the regular season for the NFL and CFB. Anyone you would prefer to take early in the draft and which position would you prefer if you had to pick one. The left tackle ... Kelvin Banks or Will Campbell. The wide receivers ... Tetairoa McMillan, Luther Burden. Maybe someone else you think you shouldn't miss out on like Travis Hunter or one of the other top guys? I see them trading back early at some point to pick up some more picks. Maybe that's a choice with the first-round pick or maybe they'll wait until Round 2. Again, way too early but already seeing glimpses of how things may shake out. – Cody Mayhew

It is way too early for this, as you said, but my only preference would be for a left tackle as the first-round pick. Most people love Will Campbell so I will defer to those who know much more about the prospect than we do, especially at this point. But finding quality tackles is tough so I wouldn't wait too long in the draft to do it. Identify the one you like best and pull the trigger.

The Jets game was unwatchable. The offensive line has to get better, or they have to figure out how to mask its weakness. A question last week was – "Should Patriots tank?" You wisely said, "No." But do you think they have to actively tank to finish in the bottom five? I don't. And that's good. Watching the NFL it's first-round receivers who get open and dominate - Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, etc. Let's get one. – Malcolm Widness

Honestly, I don't think there's much tanking that goes on in the NFL but that's a story for a different day. And no, I don't think tanking is even a possibility for the Patriots. That said, I do feel the Patriots could quite possibly get the opportunity to pick in the top 10 and perhaps even the top five, especially if things don't improve greatly up front. But I would not be looking to take a wide receiver that high. I think the priority should be grabbing a blue-chip left tackle – like LSU's Will Campbell, who many scouts are drooling over. Many impact receivers are taken after the first round like A.J. Brown, D.K. Metcalf, Terry McLaurin, George Pickens, Jayden Reed, Rashee Rice and many others. It's much more difficult to find elite left tackles later in the draft. It's possible, but not the easiest path.

Why does there continue to be conversation about Drake Maye being the starter? The team is destined for an underwhelming five- maybe six-win season according to the professionals that get paid to predict these things. Throwing the rookie in is pointless. Let Jacoby Brissett play out the season as long as he is able and wait until 2025. – Dean Carver

The flip side of your argument is, why not use part of the season to help prepare Maye for the future? If what you say is accurate and the team isn't destined for the playoffs, then what's the harm in using some games to help with Maye's development? I understand what the Patriots are doing and the idea of being patient with the young quarterback makes sense. But if there comes a point in time during the season when the coaching staff is comfortable that he is ready and able to handle the game plan and mentally up to speed, then I feel playing Maye would be the best way to help him continue in his development. It's hard to know exactly where Maye is from a mental standpoint because we don't have access to the meetings and film study that the players go through every day. So, we can't say what the right or wrong path is because we don't have the information.

I agree with Evan's previous take that tackle should be the Patriots Round 1 priority in 2025, and that it's easier to find receivers in free agency than tackles. So, along that line, power rank the 2025 free agent receiver targets for the Patriots: Tee Higgins, Stefon Diggs, Amari Cooper, Chris Godwin, Keenan Allen, DeAndre Hopkins. – Garrett Mosher

I would also agree with Evan that receivers are easier to find in free agency than tackles. I also feel quality tackles tend to go early in the draft and there aren't as many of them, so waiting on a receiver doesn't mean you can't find a quality wideout. In terms of your list I'd love to grab Higgins because he's the youngest of the group. Cooper is a good outside option as well. Godwin is a versatile player and at 28 is still young enough to be part of a team's future. Obviously, they're all good players but I feel adding receivers in their 30s at this stage of the rebuild isn't the best course of action. Higgins would be my top pick.

The Patriots this year look exactly like the Patriots post-Tom Brady. Standout defense, depending on the running game for offense. The defense can only do so much while being forced to stay on the field the majority of the time. The offensive line is extremely weak. It wouldn't matter what quarterback was behind the center; there is no time for anything to develop. Should the Patriots utilize some of the cap space they have to get some help/depth? Offensive line or also a veteran receiver (Michael Thomas, Julio Jones) who may not be what they once were but still might have some flashes? – Frank Joseph

The offense has indeed struggled and looks a lot like the units of the past two seasons. The group hasn't been able to move the ball well enough to put points on the board, as has been the case really since Brady left, as you said. The defense also hasn't been great. Certainly not playing at the "standout" level you suggested. That to me is the bigger surprise. I probably underestimated the personnel losses heading into the season, and then to have Ja'Whaun Bentley go down made it even worse. But in terms of the time of possession, the Patriots actually controlled the clock in the first two games. New England held a 35-25 edge in the opener and 36-30 in the overtime loss to Seattle. The Jets dominated time of possession in Week 3, and the defense was a big reason for that. The Jets moved the ball down the field on each of their first three possessions, scoring touchdowns on two of them. Against San Francisco the time of possession was pretty even with the Niners enjoying a slight edge (32-28). The secondary has struggled a bit, allowing 327, 281 and 288 passing yards in Weeks 2-4, and the group is having a hard time getting off the field as a result. So, the problems have really been on both sides of the ball. And no, I don't believe adding well-past-their prime receivers would help the offense at all. Maybe a veteran left tackle could help right the ship, but I'm not sure David Bahktiari or Donovan Smith are legitimate options at this point.

OK, we all know the line personnel is lacking, and that injuries have taken us from bad to worse. What I'm not seeing is blame being placed on the coaching staff. Poor blocking is bad enough, but last week they seemed clueless as to who they were supposed to block. I put that on the coaches. Too much musical chairs maybe? Too much emphasis on teaching new hand-fighting techniques? Poor blocking seems like an upgrade from not finding someone to block, right? – Ed Liebfried

The biggest issue is personnel, specifically the lack of a true left tackle option on the roster. But I would agree with your point about the problems being about more than just losing one-on-one battles. Too many free rushers have attacked Jacoby Brissett, and that has to at least be partially due to preparation and coaching. I don't think it's so much about techniques as it is about, as Jerod Mayo says often, "having all five guys seeing it through the same set of goggles." In other words, too often the group hasn't been on the same page and that's led to protection breakdowns. The coaches need to do a better job of making sure all five guys understand the assignments and read and recognize what's going on in front of them. Until those mental lapses stop, the performance won't improve much.

I'm not an expert by any means but why can't they platoon Drake Maye and Jacoby Brissett until Maye is ready to take over? Slowly increase Maye's presence into each game, start with a few plays not just clean up, then more, then a complete quarter and so on. I have never really understood why you would just throw a rookie into the fold and say, "it's now your time, show us what you got." I would think slowly exposing him and developing plays and chemistry makes more sense. – Stacy Hanson

Part of a player's development comes from learning how to handle different scenarios that arise in game action, some of which can't always be properly replicated in practice. I think it would be especially difficult for a quarterback to enter a game, find a rhythm, and then go sit down while another quarterback goes in. Alternating quarterbacks is difficult because it's tough to establish any consistency if you're not playing regularly. A few snaps once in a while isn't enough to fight through the mistakes and learn how to avoid them. Experience is almost always the best teacher so when the coaches feel Drake Maye is ready mentally, he will play. Until then he will likely be relegated to the late-game snaps he took against the Jets.

Seems like Caleb Jones has some experience and size that would make him an interesting option at left tackle. Will we see him activated off the practice squad? Why is he so far off of everybody's radar? – Ray Paul

Jones is absolutely massive at 6-9, 370 pounds. I believe that's the reason he's on the radar of so many people. He doesn't really have any experience – he went undrafted in 2022 and signed as a free agent with Green Bay. He was cut and landed on the Packers practice squad. He eventually was promoted but didn't appear in a game as a rookie. In 2023, he was promoted to the 53-man roster for two games and appeared in one. Then the Packers cut him again and the Patriots added him to the practice squad this summer. So, he has one game of NFL experience under his belt. I think Jones, like the other practice squad options, will get a chance to develop and see if he might be able to help. But if size was the only requirement for being a quality NFL tackle there wouldn't be such a shortage around the league.

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