It wasn’t a complete rebuild for the New England Patriots, but in the first year without former coach and de facto general manager Bill Belichick, they made some significant roster changes.
Most of those changes came on the offensive side of the ball with newly-hired head coach Jerod Mayo and lead personnel executive Eliot Wolf aiming to clean up the mess from last season. The Patriots had one of the worst offenses in the NFL in 2023.
If they don’t improve this season, they’re sure to fall off the same 4-13 cliff they did under Belichick. Let’s take a look at last year’s roster next to the 2024 roster for the Patriots and see how they compare.
Quarterback
| 2023 | 2024 |
| Mac Jones | Jacoby Brissett |
| Drake Maye | |
| Joe Milton III |
The quarterback position was a barren wasteland behind Mac Jones in the initial 53-man roster in 2023. Granted, the team did end up signing Bailey Zappe to the practice squad before promoting him to the main roster.
But things are obviously in a much better place in 2024 with Jacoby Brissett serving in the veteran role, while the Patriots develop two intriguing rookies in Drake Maye and Joe Milton III.
Running Back
| 2023 | 2024 |
| Rhamondre Stevenson | Rhamondre Stevenson |
| Ezekiel Elliott | Antonio Gibson |
| JaMycal Hasty |
Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott would have made a formidable one-two punch at running back if Stevenson could have stayed healthy. Elliott being one-and-done in New England meant the Patriots had to reconstruct their running back position behind Stevenson.
They managed to do so by signing Antonio Gibson and getting veteran JaMycal Hasty more involved as the No. 3 option.
Wide Receiver
| 2023 | 2024 |
| DeVante Parker | DeMario Douglas |
| JuJu Smith-Schuster | Ja’Lynn Polk |
| Kendrick Bourne | Tyquan Thornton |
| DeMario Douglas | Javon Baker |
| Kayshon Boutte | K.J. Osborn |
| Tyquan Thornton | Jalen Reagor |
| Kayshon Boutte |
The Patriots still have issues at receiver, but they’ve made more of a commitment to younger talent. Last season was an absolute mess with a banged-up JuJu Smith-Schuster and declining DeVante Parker as two of their top receiving options.
They’ve added two promising rookies, Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, to go along with the leading receivers from 2023, DeMario Douglas and Kendrick Bourne. The unit still might not be great, but it has improved.
Tight End
| 2023 | 2024 |
| Hunter Henry | Hunter Henry |
| Mike Gesicki | Austin Hooper |
| Jaheim Bell |
Re-signing Hunter Henry was a big move for…
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