With the hire of Adrian Klemm on Monday, the Patriots figure to have filled out their offensive coaching staff for 2023. While the titles usually aren’t made official by the team until the days leading up to training camp in July, it figures to look something like the following (new additions are marked with a *)…

Offensive coordinator/quarterback coach: Bill O’Brien*
Running back coach: Vinnie Sunseri
Wide receiver coach: Troy Brown
Asst. wide receiver coach: Ross Douglas
Tight end coach: Will Lawing*
Offensive line coach: Adrian Klemm*
Asst. offensive line coach: Billy Yates

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• Now, ‘filled out’ is certainly. All of the bases are covered, and that’s a staff that the Patriots could certainly begin the season with and have it function.

  At the same time, ‘filled out’ doesn’t need to mean ‘done.’ As we pointed out in the big-picture offseason plan last month, building up depth on the coaching staff is something the Patriots should focus on this offseason.

  In some places, they’ve done just that. Ross Douglas seems to be a rising star in the coaching field, and figures to be a versatile football mind having played running back and linebacker in college then coaching defensive backs and receivers his first two years in New England. He also got a chance to work with quarterbacks at the Shrine Bowl.

  Billy Yates is another name to know. He played in the NFL for eight years, and will be entering his sixth season on an NFL coaching staff, and his third with the Patriots, this summer.

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  Dec 12, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; New England Patriots assistant offensive line coach Billy Yates against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

• At the same time, other positions don’t have that kind of depth. One in particular that stands out is quarterback.

  As the Patriots try to turn things around offensive, especially in regards to third-year quarterback Mac Jones, it would make sense for them to try their best to recreate the setup Jones had around him during his rookie year in 2021. That season, much like the current setup, the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach were one in the same – Josh McDaniels. At the same time though, they also had an assistant on staff named Bo Hardegree.

  While Hardegree was simply listed as an ‘offensive assistant,’ he’s a former quarterbacks coach who was only ever seen working with the quarterbacks. After the 2021 season, he was hired by McDaniels to be the quarterbacks coach in Las Vegas.

  Hardegree likely wasn’t the ‘make-or-break’ condition for Jones, but the setup clearly worked. Offensive coordinators wear a lot of hats, and by having him around there was a constant coaching presence in the quarterback room even when McDaniels had to deal with bigger-picture matters.

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  LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 14: Quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree of the Las Vegas Raiders walks on the team’s sideline before the start of a preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings at Allegiant Stadium on August 14, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Raiders defeated Vikings the 26-20. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

• Last season, the Patriots tried duplicating the setup of McDaniels and Hardegree with Matt Patricia as offensive coordinator, Joe Judge and quarterbacks coach, and Evan Rothstein as his assistant. Patricia’s status with the team remains uncertain, and while Judge is expected to be retained on the staff, his future role remains to be determined. Rothstein remains as well.

  Putting Judge back in the quarterback coaching role would go against the idea of both a revamped offensive coaching staff that the team laid out in a statement back in January, as well as the logical step of trying to mirror 2021. Judge and Jones regularly clashed throughout the season last season.

  As for Rothstein, he had no prior official experience working with quarterbacks prior to stepping into Hardegree’s role last season (he was also just listed as an ‘offensive assistant’). Most of his pervious experience came in a “research and analysis” role (think Ernie Adams), which he held in Detroit when Patricia was the head coach and then in his first year in New England.

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  LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 18: Coach Matt Patricia
  and Mac Jones #10 of the New England Patriots react during the first half against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on December 18, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images)

• Who could step into that role this year? Projecting that is a little tricky. Assistant coaches can come from far down the coaching depth chart, and at times may not even be officially listed under their previous position.

  Again, throwing out names for a position this far down the depth chart is tough, but here’s a few stabs at it. Sean Ryan is the first name that comes to mind. He was both a wide receivers coach (2016) and quarterbacks coach (2017-2018) under O’Brien in Houston, then was the quarterbacks coach under Patricia in Detroit (2019-2020). Most recently Ryan, who has been coaching in the NFL since 2007, was with the Panthers but was let go as part of that team’s staffing overhaul at the end of the season.

  Former NFL quarterback T.J. Yates was also on O’Brien staff in Houston, as an offensive assistant in 2019 and assistant quarterbacks coach in 2020. He’s currently the wide receivers coach for the Atlanta Falcons. While going from a positional coach to an assistant positional coach may be a step back, Yates could see getting an in coaching quarterbacks – which is generally a faster track to offensive coordinator and head coach jobs – as an opportunity.

• Of course, a candidate could come from off the radar as well. Hardegree wasn’t exactly a well-known name before 2021. For instance, Tyler Hughes was a general offensive assistant on the Patriots’ offensive staff this past season, then was assigned to be the tight ends coach at the Shrine Bowl. He could be in for bigger responsibilities in 2023.

  Ultimately though, the goal for the Patriots should be stacking depth on their coaching staff now that they’ve rebuilt the top of the corporate flow chart.

  It’s something they’ve done very well in the past, which always helped provide a seamless transition as groups of coaches made their way up the ranks. When they won in 2004 in the final year of the Charlie Weis/Romeo Crennel era, assistants on that staff including coaches who would go on to play major roles on future contending teams such as McDaniels, Patricia, Brian Daboll, Dean Pees, and Eric Mangini.

  McDaniels and Pees would later ascend to coordinator roles, and when they were ready to move on their staffs were also stocked. Assistants in 2008 and 2009 – the last years they were with the team – included some of the coaches mentioned above as well as other soon-notable names like Chad O’Shea, Josh Boyer, Brian Flores, Brian Ferentz, and Patrick Graham. That next generation of coaches yielded way to an assistant group including Nick Caley, Steve Belichick, Brian Belichick, DeMarcus Covington, Mike Pellegrino, Cole Popovich, and Ray Ventrone. Joe Judge joined that group a few years later as well as a special teams assistant.

  Now, that most recent class has hit the top of the coaching depth chart, either in New England or elsewhere. The next men up aren’t as apparent, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Some names, like Yates, Douglas, and defensive assistant V’Angelo Bentley have potential, but the cupboard doesn’t feel as stock as it has in years past.

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  LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 26: (L-R) Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots and head coach Josh McDaniels of the Las Vegas Raiders shake hands after their preseason game at Allegiant Stadium on August 26, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images)

• If it’s that easy, why wouldn’t the Patriots just hire and/or promote more coaches? For one, it’s not just about adding bodies. There’s something to be said for ‘too many cooks in the kitchen.’ They have to find qualified candidates. They also may have some already on staff on the bottom of that depth chart, who will have promotions revealed come July.

  There’s also the financial element of it all, especially when it comes to qualified candidates. However, the Patriots have shown so far this offseason they’re willing to pay for coaching, between bringing in a former head coach in O’Brien who likely commanded a sizable contract, and then reportedly using a raise to draw Klemm away from his Oregon job that paid him $850,000 a year.

  Ultimately, the Patriots have achieved the much-needed goal of improving their coaching staff from 2022. Will they continue to build though before the first practices this spring? That remains to be seen.

• 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.

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