Patriots Mailbag: Looking ahead after an upset win

• There are a number of different ways to ‘rank’ the Patriots’ pass catchers. Since we’re coming off of a week where the usage was changed up – especially at wide receiver – let’s go by who should be seeing the most time on the field.

  Kendrick Bourne should be the Patriots’ top wide receiver at this point. He’s performed the best, and his ability to produce after the catch is valuable in Bill O’Brien’s offense. After Bourne should be Demario Douglas. Douglas is the Patriots’ most explosive player with the ball in his hands, but slots in just behind Bourne as he works through some of the growing pains that come with being a rookie in the NFL.

  After those two things drop off. Moving forward it would make sense for DeVante Parker and JuJu Smith-Schuster to rotate as the third receiver when the Patriots are in 11 personnel. While each has struggled this year they both add an element to the offense (size for Parker, field vision for Smith-Schuster) that the team doesn’t get as much from the top two guys. Jalen Reagor could fit into this group as well if he gets added to the active roster.

  That leaves Tyquan Thornton and Kayshon Boutte. Thornton hasn’t proven he can be the kind of threat that will keep defenses honest deep, even with his speed. He’s still a developmental player at this point. Meanwhile, the Patriots’ refusal to play Boutte suggests he’s struggling at practice, and he remains an unknown to this point.

  Then there are the tight ends. Overall the Patriots should use this position more, upping the frequency of 12 personnel. Hunter Henry looks banged up, and it may make sense to rotate him evenly with Mike Gesicki for the time being, as the Patriots did last week. Pharaoh Brown should also see the field more regularly, not just because defenses have tended to not respect him in coverage, but also because of what he brings as a blocker. His 30-percent usage rate last week felt about right.

• So far J.C. Jackson has looked like the player he was during most of his tenure in New England. He’s an aggressive ball-hawker that trusts his instincts. That’s helped him compete with some of the top wide receivers he’s faced since returning, and while he has been beat a couple of times opposing quarterbacks have yet to take advantage.

  The biggest thing is opposing offenses clearly still respect Jackson as the threat he was in 2021. It hasn’t looked like any offense has wanted to make a point of testing him significantly. That moment may come down the road, but right now he is giving the Patriots the presence of a top boundary cornerback, which they needed with Christian Gonzalez out.

• The ball-hawking nature of players like J.C. Jackson and Jack Jones is what would keep the Patriots out of moving them to free safety. Devin McCourty has shared in the past that when he first made the switch to FS early in his career the top requirement from Bill Belichick was “get the ‘F’ back.” The Patriots view that position as the last line of defense against big plays, and aren’t going to put players back there that prioritize trying to create big plays of their own over preventing them from the other team.

  That being said, don’t rule out a current cornerback moving back there next year. Jonathan Jones is much more of a textbook fit as a free safety, and has taken snaps there for the Patriots before. If it’s anybody in the cornerback room playing McCourty’s old position, Jones would be the guy (but it still makes the most sense to make an external addition at the position).

• It’s been a really strong couple of weeks for Anfernee Jennings, who is showcasing the edge-setting skillset that made him a top-100 pick coming out of Alabama in 2020. That’s a skillset the Patriots value – at times more than other teams – which seems like it would make him a strong candidate for a new contract this offseason.

• This is a fun trade idea, but I’m not sure if the Texans would move on from a wide receiver they just took in the top-50 with two more years of team control after this one for a pending free agent. Plus, based on the reporting that’s out there it seems like the Patriots would be more focused on draft picks if they trade away players at the deadline than player-for-player swaps.

• Sunday’s game showed why many people (including myself) had faith in Mac Jones to turn things around after a rough 2022 season. When he received adequate protection, Jones has the ability to distribute the ball and methodically move a drive down the field.

  The question of consistency still remains though. If that game ends up being the high point of Jones’ season, then the Patriots need to seriously consider taking a quarterback in the first round this spring. If Jones can lead the team to a few more wins down the stretch, the urgency of adding a quarterback will decrease. Given Jones is entering the final concrete year of his rookie deal in 2024 it still would make sense for the Patriots to draft a quarterback at some point, but they could afford to wait until Day 2 or 3.

• In the past I would be inclined to say yes, just based on the contract extension he signed last offseason. While cutting DeVante Parker this offseason would be tough to swallow cap-wise (over $6 million in dead cap while saving just over $200K in cap space), a trade would open up just over $3 million (all numbers per OverTheCap.com).

  If the Patriots can find a team willing to take on Parker’s contract for a minimal return, they probably would be able to move on from him. Those trades are rare in the NFL but not impossible. In fact, the team made a similar deal last spring sending Jonnu Smith to the Atlanta Falcons for a seventh-round pick.

• 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.