Drew Bledsoe: Hard road ahead for Patriots, but don’t count them out

Former NFL QB Drew Bledsoe joined Zolak & Bertrand to discuss the current status of the Patriots and despite a tough road ahead for them, he made it clear not to count them out yet.

Marc Bertrand: What do you make of the New England Patriots these days?

Drew Bledsoe: Oh, man, it's a little bit of a struggle right now, huh guys? You know, and then the injuries this week obviously are devastating. So, yeah, it's it's a little bit of a rough time for the Pats.

Scott Zolak: Trying to think... you know, obviously, we've had some bad years. We got off to bad starts from an expectation standpoint. Like where's the light at the end of the tunnel for this team?

Drew Bledsoe: Well, the first thing, I mean the first two Super Bowls we were 0-2, you know, '96 and '01 we 0-2 to start the season. It's not over. You know, it's just the first quarter of the season. But yeah, just seeing those the injuries you know to (Matt) Judon and then the the young kid from Oregon (Christian Gonzalez), you know, those are pretty impactful because it's really a team that's built for defense obviously. Those are tough ones to see, but don't count them out yet.

Scott Zolak: I think Beetle brought it up too, but what you don't have now is what you had back then, you know, the (Tedy) Bruschi, the Ty Law's, the drafts we had in the '90s. You know, we didn't. I didn't think we knew how good we could potentially be until things got figured out. I don't see that light at the end of the tunnel right now for this team. That's the problem.

Drew Bledsoe: You never know. I mean, you know, certainly it's it's a tough road right now and I think everybody acknowledges that.

The most lopsided loss of Bill Belichick's head coaching career has led to one of the most doom-and-gloom weeks the franchise has seen in recent memory. Sitting at 1-3, with the offense spinning its wheels and the defense losing multiple key players due to injury.

That reality has many fans ready to throw in the towel on the 2023 season, instead looking ahead to 2024. Others still see room for improvement, and acknowledge the hole while simultaneously wondering how the team can dig its way out of it.

READ MORE:

--Patriots ready to turn to promising rookie following run of injuries
--Christian Gonzalez's rookie season is over
--J.C. Jackson is back

Is this Patriots season salvageable? Or is it really time to start looking ahead? We got questions on both sides, so let's start with this week's Mailbag...

Note: Some of these questions were asked prior to the Patriots' acquisition of J.C. Jackson. Note the date and time on the tweets. 

If the Broncos are smart, Jerry Jeudy will be available at the deadline. Still, there are two questions. One - will the Patriots be willing to be buyers (and big buyers, given the likely cost for Jeudy). Two - if they are willing to part with premium assets will it be for a wide receiver, or would they rather add to another spot on the roster, especially those that have been decimated by injuries (ex. cornerback).

If the Patriots want to make a change at right tackle their options are limited - especially if Riley Reiff isn't ready to return from IR just yet. Calvin Anderson already got benched, leaving Tyrone Wheatley Jr. as the only other true tackle on the roster. Andrew Stueber is also on the practice squad.

The other option the team could consider is moving Mike Onwenu back out to right tackle, with one of the rookie guards stepping in for him on the interior (or Reiff once he's ready, as he did thihs summer). It's an idea that's been floated plenty externally but since the start of the 2022 season the team has seemed to be firmly against the idea of moving Onwenu from right guard. Was Sunday's loss jarring enough to change their minds?

Jerod Mayo highlighted this week that it will be "multiple guys trying to fill that role." In that sense, there should be more snaps available for Anfernee Jennings. However, the one player Mayo highlighted specifically when talking about filling in for Matthew Judon was Keion White, so look for him to see the largest increase in playing time.

As for Roberts, it's not unrealistic to think he'll see more playing time as well, but that's more related to the injury to Daniel Ekuale than Judon.

This deal for J.C. Jackson seems to be mostly in response to Christian Gonzalez's season ending injury. If there is another cornerback that factored into that decision is would most likely be Jack Jones, who ESPN's Mike Reiss reported last week isn't expected to return soon.

If J.C. Jackson plays well, there's no reason to think the Patriots wouldn't keep him around. With most of his guaranteed money either already paid or set to be paid by the Chargers, the Patriots can restructure his deal to keep him around at a team-friendly cost.

If he sticks around though, it will most likely be on a restructure. Without a restructure his cap his for next year would be $14 million. Look for the team to change that before his roster bonus is due in mid-March.

This was probably an easier move to make than the average trade deadline deal. J.C. Jackson was clearly available based on his recent usage in Los Angeles (he was a healthy scratch two weeks ago, then dressed by didn't play last week). Plus, the Patriots were already familiar with Jackson.

If the Patriots feel like they are a player or two away from making a playoff push, trading for Jackson shouldn't prevent them from adding offensively. However, those kinds of trade almost always take place in the week or two before the deadline. This was probably more about an immediate need for depth, and unique circumstances surrounding the availability of a player the Patriots already knew.

While the Patriots certainly can use all the help they can get up front offensively, La'el Collins may not be the sure-fire fix many fans seem to expect. He's 30 years old and coming off a significant knee injury. Despite their own offensive line shortcomings (Joe Burrow has been hit the second-most of any quarterback in the league through four weeks) the Bengals still felt comfortable parting ways with him, which is telling. That doesn't mean the Patriots shouldn't sign him, but he'd be more of a flier than an automatic fix.

As for Demario Douglas, he certainly should be playing more. Pharaoh Brown's usage from Sunday makes a little more sense in the context of the game, as his role becomes diminished when the team is chasing a multi-score deficit - which happened quickly against the Cowboys.

It's tough to ask a current GM, regardless of who it is, to start making moves for his replacement. The idea of a 'lame duck' GM or coach isn't really something that exists - usually if it gets to that point, the sides have already parted ways.

That being said, let's examine this under the assumption that Bill Belichick assumes he'll be back next year (which he should, just as a competitor). If the team loses the next few games, he still absolutely should look to move players on expiring contract to obtain assets that will help him restock the roster next year.

All four names Dave mentions here could certainly be trade candidates, but the two that really stand out are Hunter Henry and Josh Uche. We've seen pass catchers and pass rushers be dealt for Day 2 picks at the deadline in the past, so those are certainly calls that would be worth making (especially if Henry continues to play the way he has to start the season).

Even if they know they're entering a rebuild, the Patriots still should try to retain and re-sign Kyle Dugger, given the role he plays in their defense. As for Mike Onwenu he could be a tradable asset, but guards generally don't bring back as much of a return. He may be worth holding on to on the off chance he re-signs (and if we're working under the 'next regime' assumption, on the chance that the next coach/GM want to move him back to right tackle).

If the Patriots are picking this high - which suddenly doesn't look as unrealistic as it did a month ago - they need to take a quarterback. Even if Mac Jones turns things around individually, this class is simply loaded with QB talent. If the Patriots are drafting in the top five, or even top 10, they'll likely have a chance to add a potential franchise quarterback.

Plus, the clock has just about run out on Jones' rookie deal. So if the team wants to keep him they're going to have to pay him - limiting their ability to add the much-needed pieces around him at this point. The chance to add a better player that will cost the team less would be a hard chance to pass up.

I've said in the past I think the Patriots can turn things around to a certain extent, but I've felt that way each of the last three years and they haven't been able to do it. It's getting harder and harder to point to what might make this year different. The defensive injuries will only further complicate things.

As for a 'tank,' I don't think Bill Belichick would believe in that philosophically. They'll continue competing. Whatever that means for next year's draft will be determined after the season.

I think these are already in the right order, but the gap between B & C is much smaller than the gap between A & B.

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.

It's still a little too early to start talking draft in this sense. Not just because of where the Patriots are at, but the prospects as well. There are still so many telling games to be plays, especially for the quarterbacks. Let's check back in on this one in about a month.